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HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



UNITED STATES. 



PREPARED BY THE 



AMERICAN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION. 



WITH MAPS. 



''^ 



^NEW YORK: 

PUBLISHED FOR THE ASSOCIATION, 
By HURD and HOUGHTON, 13 Astor Place ; 

1871. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by 

The American Socul Science Association, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



riverside, Cambridge: 

stereotyped and printed bt 

h. 0. boughton and compant. 



PEEFAOE. 



This work is meant to contain, in a concise form, such in- 
formation as one proposing emigration requires in order to 
decide, first, whether he had better leave his old home, and if 
so, second, how to settle himself in a new one. It aims not 
only at guiding immigrants across the ocean and into the inte- 
rior of the United States, but also at fitting them to become 
contented and useful citizens in the land of their adoption. 

It is intended for distribution by Emigration Agencies in 
Europe, steamship lines. Boards of Immigration and State 
charities, and railroad and land corporations in the United 
States. 

Its preparation has been aided by valuable contributions from 
Messrs. Edward Atkinson, D. C. Gilman, Hamilton A. Hill, 
N. S. Shaler and William F. Wharton, General F. A. Walker, 
Superintendent of the National Census, and the Statistical 
Bureau of the Treasury Department. 

This first edition is experimental. It is designed to reach, in 
the first place, those who can help the compilers in improving 
the scope and accuracy of the work. A compilation involving 
the acquisition and use of varied and confused material, 
especially when brought within the compass of little more than 
one hundred pages, cannot be perfected without the assistance 
of readers as well as writers. We ask the members of the 
Association in particular — but we by no means confine the re- 
quest to them, we ask all readers — to make any corrections, 
and to suggest any omissions or inadequate statements, which 
may strike them in examining this volume. If we succeed in 
exciting that amount of interest in the publication which will 
induce others to take part in perfecting it, the second edition 
will be much better than the first. 

This edition is also put forth that its eflfect may be tried upon 
the immigrants into whose hands it may come. Until it has 



iv PREFACE. 

been actually tested by them, neither its strong nor its weak 
points can be determined. We invite them to relate their ex- 
periences in using the book, so that its use may be rendered 
more thoroughly serviceable to those coming after them. 

Tiie book is further and especially commended to those in the 
management of public boards, steamship, railway, and land 
companies, by whom the publication and .distribution of future 
editions may be greatly aided. If printed to the extent that is 
proposed, and in different languages, the Handbook will require 
much larger resources and facilities than can be furnished by 
the Association publishing it. Immigration is of such national 
and international concern ; so many interests, public and private, 
are involved in its judicious direction ; so much suffering and 
loss may be spared to the immigrant, and therefore to the nation 
which he joins, by informing and guarding him, that we can- 
not but hope for generous cooperation in making this Handbook 
an instrument of wide-spread good. 

Boston, April, 1871. 



COI^TE]S[TS. 



PART I. 



GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 





PAGE 




PAOB 


Caution .... 


. 1 


Settlement .... 


14 


Who should emigrate 


. 2 


Immigrant Aid Societies 


15 


First Steps 


. 4 


How TO travel 


15 


When to go . 


. 4 


Building 


18 


How to go ... 


. 5 


Statistics for 1870 


19 


Laws for the Protection 


OF 


Wages 


22 


Emigrants .... 


. 8 


Money 


22 


National, OR State Protection 9 


Weights and Measures . 


23 


Landing .... 


. 10 


Postage .... 


23 




PART n. 




THE 


UNITED STATES. 




Climate .... 


25 


Exemption of Property from 




Soil . . . 


. 27 


Seizure for Debt 


39 


Mineral Resources 


27 


Laws of Inheritance 


39 


Animals .... 


. 28 


Rights of Property belonging 




Plants .... 


30 


to Married Women . 


40 


Population 


. 31 


Education .... 


41 


History .... 


33 


Religion 


44 


Government. 




Character of the People 


44 


National 


. 35 


Industry. 




State 


36 


Agriculture 


46 


Municipal 


. 37 


Manufactures 


48 


Territorial 


37 


Commerce 


50 


Army and Navy 


. 37 


Railways and Telegraphs . 


51 


Naturalization 


37 


Taxation and Revenue 


53 


Laws of Propickty affecting 






Immigrants 


. 38 








PART m. 






THE STATES. 




I. New England States 


. 56 


II. Middle States 


62 


Maine 


56 


New York 


62 


New Hampshire 


. 57 


New Jersey 


65 


Vermont 


. 58 


Pennsylvania 


66 


Massachusetts 


. 58 


Delaware .... 


68 


Rhode Island 


60 


lU. Southern States 


69 


Connecticut 


. 61 


Maryland .... 


69 



VI 



CONTENTS. 



IV. 



District of Columbia 

Virginia . 

West Virginia . 

North Carolina 

South Carolina . 

Georgia . 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi . 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Western States 

Ohio . 

Indiana . 



PAGE 

. 70 

70 

. 71 

72 
. 73 

74 
. 75 

76 
. 77 

77 
. 78 

79 
. 79 

80 



Illinois 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

Missouri 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Iowa 

Minnesota 

Kiuisa-> . 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

California 

Oregon . 



PAGE 

81 
82 
83 
84 
84 
86 
87 
88 
92 
9;-) 

9(; 

99 
100 
101 



PART IV. 



TERRITORIES. 



Dakota 
Montana 
Idaho 

Washington . 
Wyoming . 
Colokado 



103 
104 
104 
104 
105 
105 



Utah . . . ... .105 

New Mexico .... 106 

Arizona 106 

Indian Territory . . 107 
Alaska 107 



PART V. 



THE PUBLIC LANDS 



A New Country . 

Area 

Classes of Lands 

How to obtain Lands 



108 How TO pay for Lands . Ill 

108 Land Offices . . . .111 

109 Other Unsettled Lands • 112 

110 Conclusion . . . .112 



APPENDIX. 



Tickets to the Interior 115 

New York Protection 115 

Ward's Island • 115 

Immigrant Aid Societies 116 

Northern Pacific Railroad . . . . ' 116 



HANDBOOK FOE IMMIGEAISTTS. 



PART I. 



GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 



CAUTIOK. 

There can hardly be a more serious act than a change of country. 
To emigrate is .to take a step, of which neither the most hopeful nor 
the most thoughtful can correctly foresee the full consequences, for 
good or for evil. It means nothing less than to part for years, if not 
forever, with home, relations, and friends ; to break up old and dear 
habits ; to live among strangers in a strange land ; to recommence, 
often from the very beginning, the struggle of life. 

The first question, then, for any one proposing to remove from his 
country to another is this : " Am I, or are those whom I propose to 
take with me, in a condition to emigrate ? " In order to arrive at a 
proper answer, he will do well, — 

1. To inform himself as fully as possible in regard to the United 
States, and the chances of improving his circumstances by renaoving 
thither. This book has been compiled with the purpose of furnishing 
the information which he needs. If he has friends in the United 
States in whom he has confidence, and who are in condition to give 
him trustworthy advice, let him by all means apply directly to them, 
and be guided by their experience. 

2. Not to take counsel of his hopes only, or, in other words, not 
merely to think of the higher wages, cheaper lands, better food, and 
other advantages which he expects to find on the other side of the 
Atlantic, but also of what he will give up in the old country, of the 
expense and trouble of the journey, of the uncertainty of finding a bet- 
ter home, of the much greater cost of living, and of the possible effect 
which a change of habits and climate may produce upon his health. 

3. To consider that, although labor is sure to find a more generous 
reward, and capital, if judiciously employed, to yield larger returns 
in the United States than in the old country, cases of disappointment 
always have been and always will be numerous. 

4. To remember that contentment is essential to true happiness, 

1 



2 HANDBOOK FOR 'IMMIGRANTS 

and to consider carefully whether the material gain to be found will 
compensate for the inevitable loss of much that is dear. 

5. Not to weigh the effect of emigration selfishly upon himself 
alone, but also upon those whom he leaves, and upon those whom he 
takes with him. 

WHO SHOULD EMIGRATE. 

The general conditions of success in life are the same in the 
United States as in the old country, namely, a sound body, a sound 
mind, and a good character. 

No one should emigrate who does not possess good health. In- 
valids will not be benefited generally by the change, and they run 
the risk of being turned back, as the American laws forbid their land- 
ing unless they show themselves possessed of means sufficient for their 
support. Persons beyond the prime of life should also abstain from 
emigration, unless they can depend upon the support of others when 
no longer able to work. 

A strong mind is hardly less necessary than a sound body. Few 

emigrants escape disappointments and trials, to bear up under which 

requires buoyancy of spirits, patience, and power of self-denial. A 

certain degree of intelligence is also desii'able in those who come to 

% live among a people naturally so quick-witted as the Americans. 

Persons unwilling to work, or accustomed to live by their wits 
alone, are not wanted in the United States. Idlers will only go from 
bad to worse, and adventurers will not prosper any more here than 
at home. Criminals, to whom the United States has always been a 
favorite refuge, are sent back as soon as discovered. 

No one should emigrate without money enough to maintain himself 
after his arrival in the foreign country till he can earn a living, 
unless he has friends ready to help him. This applies especially to 
heads of families, who would be guilty of reckless imprudence in ex- 
posing themselves and their companions to the risk of arriving in des- 
titute circumstances, and to the inevitable suffering ensuing. Let no 
one start depending upon charity alone, for charitable provisions at 
various points of landing serve only to meet tlie most urgent wants. 
To begin life in a new country as a pauper is at best an undignified 
start, which every person with any self-respect should wish to avoid. 
Moreover, under the laws of the United States, paupers are not per- 
mitted to enter the country. 

Next to these general conditions, the success of an emigrant will 
depend upon his previous training and occupation. As a rule, those 
whose occupations are wholly or in part mental, are far less likely to 
profit by emigration than those who live by the labor of their hands. 

Every one of the so-called learned professions is overstocked. 
There are more doctors, apothecaries, lawyers, literary men, archi- 
tects, teachers, clergymen, and other men of liberal education in the 
United States than can make a decent living. In the cities and coun- 
try districts of the older States especially, there is a superabundance 
of professional men, and even in the Western States, where their ser- 
vices are less required, the supply, though not of a high order, 
exceeds the demand. 

It would be folly for most persons of this class to emigrate unless 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 3 

they emigrate for other than material reasons, and come provided 
with sufficient means for their support during the long years when 
they will have to wait before they can expect to make a living from 
their profession. Professional young men, settling in some new com- 
munity in the West, may gradually build up a practice. But this 
growing up with a place is a slow process, calling for not a little 
patience, and involving years of self-denial. 

Persons following business pursuits will hardly do better than pro- 
fessional men. Their want of acquaintance Avith the country, and the 
different methods of doing business in it, will place them at a decided 
disadvantage. Owing to the intense competition in most branches of 
business, the percentage of failures among merchants is greater than 
in any other country. If merchants with capital emigrate at all, 
they should be content to wait until a protracted residence has ren- 
dered them familiar with the peculiarities of American business before 
investing their means. In the growing cities and towns in the West 
many opportunities for starting in business offer themselves, but even 
there the safest course will be to study the ground carefully before 
risking anything. 

Clerks ought not to think of coming to the United States unless 
they have thoroughly made up their minds to lay down the pen and 
to take to the spa.de or the plough. No kind of labor is so much of a 
drug as clerical labor. Nearly everybody writes a good hand, and 
can keep books. The rush into this kind of work since the late civil 
war has been very gi'eat. Cases of grievous disappointment are very 
frequent among clerks, book-keepers, and shopmen from Europe who 
have come out under the impression that they will do better in a 
new country. For their pm-poses it is not' a new country, but an old 
one. 

Women who expect to earn their subsistence by teaching, tending 
shop, or sewing, are also very liable to disapi^ointment. 

Persons accustomed to earn a living by manual labor run the least 
risk in emigrating. A pair of stout arms, if united with habits of 
sobriety and economy, are sure to give the emigrant a good start in 
the States. With a knowledge of some mechanical trade he can 
still more confidently rely on doing well. 

Of the different classes of laboring people none will find a better 
opening than agricultural laborers. Men with a small capital can 
easily become independent freeholders in the prosperous Western 
States. To this class of emigrants large families will prove a positive 
advantage, if the younger members can assist in tilling the soil. 
The demand for farm hands working for hire is great and constant 
in all parts of the country. Gardeners are almost everywhere in 
good demand. Ordinary laborers, able and willing to do any kind 
of work that will yield them a good living, will also not be long in 
finding something to do. 

Good mechanics will likewise have little difficulty in obtaining em- 
ployment. Among the most promising trades are those of boot and 
shoe making, tailors, carpenters, furniture makers, masons, stone-cut- 
ters, brick-makers, ordinary and decorative painters, plumbers, work- 
ers in ii'on, tin, and copper, machinists, printers, millers, brewers, 
and butchers. Highly skilled artisans, however, such as engravers, 



4 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

workers in the precious metals, and the producers of articles of lux- 
ury generally, often do not improve their condition. Not a few per- 
sons of this class return to Europe after trying the country for a 
while. It is not because their skill is undervalued, but because the 
demand for such labor is unequal to the supply. 

Operatives will do better than at home if they obtain emj)loyment, 
but their chances of finding it will depend very m.uch on the state of 
the manufacturing business at the time "of their arrival. Of late 
years, owing to the depression of many branches of industry in the 
States, the "demand for operatives has diminished. More informa- 
tion for this class is given in Part 11., under Manufactures. 

Miners earn much higher wages in the United States than in Great 
Britain ; but the largest branch of American mining industry, coal- 
mining, has for some time been very much disturbed by a succession 
of strikes, so that new-comers cannot be sure of finding work on 
landing. But they will be safe enough in coming out if they are will- 
ino- to^'do other labor, until an opportunity ofiers to follow their regu- 
lar occupation. 

No class of persons will trust less to chance in emigrating than 
domestic servants. Male servants, such as butlers, coachmen, and 
grooms, it is true, are not much Avanted outside of the larger cities ; 
but females, such as cooks, maids, laundresses, and nurses, can find 
good situations everywhere for the mere asking. The demand for 
them is really unlimited. 

FIRST STEPS. 

Supposing emigration to be prudent, the first step is to decide 
whither it shall be directed. Two motives should guide the emi- 
grant in his decision : first, the location of his friends, if he has any, 
as they can help him better than all the world besides ; second, his 
own working capacity, which ought to carry him to some part of the 
country where it can be advantageously employed. AVlien these two 
motives combine, and an emigrant looks forward to settling where he 
can have friends about him, and work before him, then he can form 
his plans unhesitatingly. 

Heads of families,, unless they know precisely where to go, will do 
well to make a trial visit before moving those depending on them. 
Goino- alone, they will be able to move about much more freely, with 
a better chance of finding a home or occupation. By bringing out 
their families only after seeing the country and selecting a suitable 
locality, they will save themselves much anxiety. They may also 
save expense, as the cost of the advance journey will hardly be as 
great as that of maintaining their families in the States while they 
are looking about for a place of settlement. 

WHEN TO GO. 

After deciding where to go, one must decide when to go. This is 
very simple, if circumstances allow a free choice. Spring is by all 
means the best season, summer the next, autumn the next, and 
winter the worst. In the summer the ocean is even quieter than in 
the spring, but by going early one has a better chance of immediate 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 5 

employment on landing. In the winter, rougli weather generally pre- 
vails on the ocean, but the ships are usually much less *owdcd than 
during the rest of the year. 

HOW TO GO. 

Steamships are far preferable to sailing vessels for the voyage. 
The former make the passage in from ten to fourteen days, while the 
latter require from four to eight weeks. The rates of passage are 
generally lower on sailing than on steam vessels, but the difference is 
not great enough to compensate for the loss of time and the hard- 
ships of a long voyage. The accommodations, especially the food, 
are generally much better on steamships. Nine tenths of the emi- 
grants to the United States already come by steamers, and it is be- 
lieved that sailing ships will soon entirely cease to be employed in 
carrying them. In 18G9 steamers lost only one in a thousand 
passengers, while sailing vessels lost one in two hundred. This shows 
how much safer the former are. 

To reach the port of embarkation, if the emigrant is not already 
there, requires information which can be fully given only on the spot, 
and we do not here attempt it. At most of the steamship agencies 
which are scattered over Great Britain and Northern Europe, tickets 
may be purchased to cover the expense of the journey to the port. 
The purchase of tickets requires caution. The emigrant must take 
care that he goes to the proper office, and gets the proper ticket at 
the proper price. 

We nov/ give a table in Avhich the various steamship lines are 
enumerated, with details concerning their management as far as 
steerage paseengers, that is, emigrants, are concerned. 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



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8 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS. 

In buying his ticket by any of the, above lines, it will be well for 
the emigrant, if his destination on the other side of the ocean is 
fixed, to inquire concerning his transportation thither from the port 
at which he is to land. Some of the steamship companies make it an 
object to buy a ticket from the starting-point in Europe to or near 
the point at which one is to settle in the United States. This course 
must not be taken by the emigrant without minute inquiry. 

The outfit is another important matter. An emigrant ought to 
have one or more stout boxes, well roped, and plainly marked. He 
should fill it or them with substantial clothing, including boots and 
shoes, part for winter, part for summer wear ; all costing much more in 
the United States than in Europe. Clothes of every kind, if in use, or 
ready for use, pass free at the custom-houses. Some articles may 
be required for the voyage. Concerning these, the rules of the 
steamship companies must be consulted. If the passenger has money 
or valuables, he would do well to deposit them with the purser of the 
ship during the voyage. 

IVhile on shipboard, one must be careful about his food, an abrupt 
change of diet being bad everywhere, and particularly at sea. The 
choice of acquaintances among the passengers should be very cau- 
tious, especially on the part of women. Discretion as to intercourse 
with others is of hourly importance during a voyage. 

LAWS FOR THE PROTECTION OF EMIGRANTS. 

A convention between the European powers and the United 
States for the protection of emigrants at sea has been proposed, and 
will probably be executed. 

Meantime reliance must be placed on the separate legislation of 
the governments most nearly concerned. 

That of Great Britain is as follows : — 

On payment of passage money, emigrants are entitled to contract 
tickets specifying the name of vessel, date of sailing, and allowance 
of provisions. No runner or agent is entitled to a commission for 
procm-ing this ticket. 

If a passenger shall report at the proper time on the day of sailing, 
and because of some action of the owner or officers, and by no de- 
fault of his own, fail to obtain passage or guarantee of passage on 
another ship within ten days, Avith subsistence money in the interval, 
he may recover, before a justice of the peace, the money paid, and 
damages not exceeding £lO. 

No ship shall carry on her lower passenger deck a greater number 
of passengers than in the proportion of one person over twelve years 
of age, or two between one and twelve, to eighteen clear superficial 
feet of deck allotted to their use. 

All male persons, fourteen years old and upwards, not occupying 
berths with their wives, must be berthed in a separate compartment 
from other passengers, and not more than one person (except hus- 
band and wife, or females and children under twelve) can occupy the 
same berth. Berths must not be removed till passengers are landed. 

Passengers must be divided into messes of not more than ten each, 
estimating two persons between one and tAvelve as equal to one over 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 9 

twelve, and the members of a family, one of whonr is more than 
twelve years old, may form a separate mess. 

Provisions according to the contract list must be issued to each 
mess daily, before two o'clock in the afternoon, such articles as re- 
quire cooking having been cooked. 

No spirits shall be sold on board. 

Medicines and medical comforts (and in case the number of per- 
sons on board exceeds three hundred, a medical practitioner) must be 
provided by the owner or charterer of the vessel. 

The medical officer and master may exact obedience to rules. 

Passengers may be relanded in case of sickness, but must be pro- 
vided with subsistence until they are forwarded, or the passage money 
is returned, or they decline or neglect to proceed. In case they are 
forwarded by the governor of a colony, or a consul, passage money 
cannot be reclaimed. 

Passengers are entitled to eat and sleep on board for forty-eight 
hours after arrival in port, unless the vessel shall leave within that 
time to proceed on her voyage. 

In case a breach of contract shall occur, the passenger may re- 
cover, by summary process before any two justices of the peace, the 
damages and costs, not to exceed in any case the amount of passage 
money, and £20. And a passenger shall be considered a competent 
witness in his own case. 

Persons secretly stowing themselves on board a vessel for the pur- 
pose of procuring passage, are liable to a penalty of £20. 

The legislation of the United States is as follows : — 

No vessel shall carry more than one person in proportion to every 
two tons of such vessel, not including children under one yeai', and 
counting two children between one and eight years as one passenger. 
No person shall be carried on a deck where the height is not at least 
six feet in the clear. Where the height is seven and a half feet or 
more, fourteen superficial feet must be allowed for each passenger ; 
when less than seven and a half, sixteen. The loAver decks must be 
thoroughly ventilated. 

Each vessel shall have on board, at the time of starting, a stock of 
provisions of good quality amply sufficient for the voyage, and proper 
facilities for cooking the same. 

The captain of every such vessel is authorized to maintain good 
discipline and habits of cleanliness on board, and is required to make 
the necessary regulations, and to keep a copy of the same posted up 
in an accessible place during the voyage. 

The State of New York has recently passed an act for the better 
protection of emigrants arriving at the port of New York, providing 
for an inquiry into any complaints of treatment, food, or other matters 
connected with the voyage. 

NATIONAL OR STATE PKOTECTION. 

The protection of immigrants, as appears from the foregoing state- 
ments, has long been an object of national concern. But while the 
United States government has protected them in American vessels, it 
has left them on arriving, to the care of the States where they arrived. 



10 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

This will appear from the following section. Within the last year or 
two, a movement has been begun with the purpose of establishing a 
Bureau or Board of Immigration by the national government, to take 
the place of the various boards or agencies hitherto appointed by the 
States. Bills are now before Congress which are intended to transfer 
the immigrant from State to national protection, immediately upon 
arrival. 

LANDING. 

At length the immigrant is in port. It is well if he has friends to 
receive him, or, in their absence, officials to direct him. Without 
one or the other, he must be on his guard at every turn. Runners, 
or agents, of one class or another, will beset him behind and before ; 
some about his baggage, some about his boarding-house, some about 
the railroads by which he may be thinking of travelling to the in- 
terior. If he cannot help himself, he must ask help from the immi- 
grant officers, or his fellow-passengers, and he will get it, if he de- 
serves it. 

The State of New York has established a Landing Depot for 
Immigrants at Gastle Garden in the port of New York. The work 
centering there is done in departments, of which the following de- 
scription is abridged from a pamphlet on Immigration, by IVir. 
Friedrich Kapp, late of the Commissioners of Immigration of the 
State. 

I. The Boarding Department. — On arrival at the quarantine 
station (six miles below the city), every vessel bringing immigrant 
passengers is boarded by an officer of this department, stationed 
there for the purpose, who ascertains the number of passengers, the 
deaths, if any, during the voyage, and the amount and character of 
sickness, examines the condition of the vessel in respect to cleanli- 
ness, and receives complaints, of which he makes report to the Gen- 
eral. Agent and Superintendent at Castle Garden ; he remains on 
board the ship during her passage up the bay, to see that the law 
prohibiting communication between ship and shore before immio-rant 
passengers are landed is enforced. On casting anchor in the stream, 
convenient to the Landing Depot, he is relieved by an officer of the 
Metropolitan Police force, detailed at Castle Garden, and the pas- 
sengers are transferred to the care of 

II. The Landing Department, from which the Landing Agent pro- 
ceeds with barges and tugs, accompanied by Inspector of Customs, 
to the vessel. After an examination of the luggage, it is checked, 
and the passengers with their luggage are transferred to the barges 
and tugs, and landed at the Castle Garden pier. On landing, the 
passengers are examined by a medical officer, to discover if any 
sick have passed the health authorities at quarantine (who are there- 
upon transferred by steamer to the hospitals on Ward's or Black- 
well's Island), and likewise to select all subject to special bonds 
under the law, as blind persons, cripples, lunatics, or any others who 
are likely to become a future charge. This examination being 
ended, the immigrants are directed into the Rotunda, a circular 
space with separate compartments for English-speaking and other 
nationalities, to 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 11 

III. The Registering Department, where the names, nationality, 
former place of residence, and intended destination of the immi- 
grants, with other particulars are taken down. The passengers are 
then directed to 

IV. The Agents of the Railroad Companies, from whom they can 
procm-e tickets to all parts of the United States and Canada, with- 
out the risk of fraud or extortion to which they are subjected out- 
side of the Depot. In the mean while, the baggage and luggage arc 
stored in the baggage room. A brass ticket, with any letter of the 
alphabet from A to F inclusive, and a number from 1 to 600, is de- 
livered to the immigrant on landing, and a duplicate fastened on his 
piece of baggage. "The trunk or box is then placed in the baggage- 
room. This room has six bins, designated by the letters A, B, C, D, 
E, F, and each bin has six hundred numbers. Accordingly, when 
the immigrant produces his ticket, a baggageman at once goes to the 
bin indicated by the letter and number on the ticket, and delivers 
the baggage required. 

The immigrants destined inland, on delivery of their check, take 
their baggage to the weigher's scales. After having been weighed 
and paid for, it is sent free of charge to the depot of the railroad 
or dock of the steamboat by which they leave. Such immigrants as 
design remaining in this city and vicinity are directed to 

V. The City Baggage Delivery, which ascertains the address to 
which the immigrants may desire to have their luggage sent, and 
takes their orders, exchanging the brass check received from the 
Landing Agent on shipboard, for a printed paper one. The luggage 
is thenpromptly delivered in any part of this city and vicinity at 
a moderate rate of charges, approved by the Commission. At the 
same time, those having gold or silver which they may wish to have 
exchanged for United States currency are directed to one of three 

VI. Exchange Brokers, admitted into the Depot, who change specie 
for a small advance on the market rate, set forth in a conspicuous 
place for the observation of the immigrant, the daily fluctuations in 
rates being duly noted. 

These last three departments are conducted by responsible par- 
ties, who, while not officers, are nevertheless under the close and 
constant supervision of the Commission, and are required to keep 
a record of all transactions, subject to the inspection of any mem- 
ber of the Board. 

VII. The Information Department. — AVlien the foregoing opera- 
tions are completed, the immigrants are assembled in the Kotunda, 
and an officer of the Commission calls out the name* of those whose 
friends attend them in the waiting-room at the entrance of the De- 
pot, and to whom they are directed. At the same time are called 
out the names of those lor whom letters or funds are waiting, which 
are then delivered to the proper owners through the Forwarding 
Department. Immi<rrants who desire to communicate with friends 
at a distance are referred to 

VIU. The Letter-writing Department, where clerks, understanding 
the various Continental languages, are in attendance to write. The 
immigrant, while waiting a reply, if destitute, finds a home in the 
institutions at Ward's Island. 



12 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

IX. Boarding-liouse Keepers, licensed by the Mayor and properly 
certified as to character by responsible parties, are admitted to the 
Rotunda, after the foregoing business has been completed, to solicit 
for their respective houses such immigrants as desire to remain in 
the city for any length of time. These boarding-house keepers are 
subject to certain regulations, and every precaution is taken to 
guard the immigrant against the abuses and imposition to which 
he was formerly liable. 

X. The Forwarding Department receives, through the Treasurer, 
all communications and remittances fi^om friends of immigrants, sent 
either before their arrival or in response to letters written by the 
Letter Department. 

XI. The Ward's Island Department receives all applications for 
admission to the Refuge or Hospital there. Attached to this de- 
partment are two physicians, whose duties are to examine all sick 
and destitute applicants for relief, and to visit all such at their res- 
idences in the city, and report to the General Agent. 

XII. The Labor Exchange. — Each immigrant on arriving is re- 
quested to enter his or her name, ship, date of arrival, and character 
of employment ; while every employer is required to enter his or 
her name, residence, recommendations, references, and description 
of labor wanted. This Labor Exchange furnishes an intelligence 
office, without charge, for immigrants desirous of finding employment 
or service in the city or at a distance ; and undertakes to supply 
all sorts of skilled mechanical and agricultural labor to employers 
in any part of the United States, who come with a proper guarantee 
of character and other necessary qualifications. 

Such "is the Commissioner's account. A few words from a pam- 
phlet by a Scotch farmer give an immigrant's impressions. 

" \Vlien the shore is reached, the passengers, baggage and all, are 
driven to Castle Garden, between two lines of officials, in the same 
manner as the railway officials in the west put the wild Texas cattle 
into the cars, minus the whipping. In the passage along Castle 
Garden, we were met first by one government official, and then by 
another, each of whom asked a distinct class of questions, and scru- 
tinized the appearance of every immigrant. Some of the questions 
were as follows : What is your name ? Where is your former 
place of residence ? Whither are you going ? What is your trade ? 
After the government inspectors were satisfied, we were pushed 
farther on to a large open area, where we had to remain till all had 
passed this ordeal. When this formal business was completed, we 
wanted to get out to a hotel to secure a bed and get rested, for we 
were very much used up. We were told by the door-keeper that 
we must remain till the business was completed. I insisted on get- 
ting out on the plea of sickness, — and very sick I was, — but that 
had no effect. There I had to remain along with many more, to be 
assailed by a host of what Avere called very respectable lodging- 
house keepers, and to hear an almost endless string of names called 
over, which was only interesting to a few. One would infer from 
the name of this place — Castle Garden — that" he Avas entering into, 
a paradise ; but I could call it by another name. It contains a 
Labor Exchauge, — a most important and useful office for immigrants 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 13 

whose minds are not fixed on any particular place, and especially 
for those who have no money to carry them farther. A meal can 
be got in the building for half a dollar, and immigrants can remain 
in it to wait the chance of employment. There is no place for 
them to sleep, unless on the floor or on a form. If one possessed 
of money or valuables wishes to remain for a time about New York, 
and knows of no place for their safety, he should hand them over to 
the General Superintendent of Castle Garden, in whose hands they 
are quite safe, and who will grant a receipt for them. An immigrant 
can leave his baggage there for days or weeks, if it is not convenient 
for him to remove it, but he should be careful always to get a check 
for each box, which is his guarantee for his property, from the Com- 
pany's employees. Every employee, while on duty, is obliged to 
wear and exhibit a badge, showing his position, which is a good 
arrangement to prevent imposition by sharpers. All services ren- 
dered to immigrants by the servants are without charge. The Immi- 
gration Commissioners have established a hospital for immigrants 
prostrated by sickness, and not able to pay for medical assistance 
and comforts. These and other arrangements at Castle Garden 
are all well meant, and have done good, and are possibly doing good 
still ; but from the many complaints in and out of the j)lace, it is 
evident there is a screw loose somewhere." 

At all the principal ports to which steamship lines bring immi- 
grants, especial provisions are made for their benefit. 

The following account of those at the port of Boston is taken, in 
substance, from a recent journal. 

On the arrival of the steamship, the decks are alive. The passen- 
gers cluster at the forecastle and hedge the bulwarks, some with eager 
eyes watching for the first look of recognition from some expectant 
relative ; others with stolid but not altogether uninterested gaze, scan- 
ning the new situation, all anxious to get ashore and enjoy the first 
taste of the larger liberty which they have crossed the seas to obtain. 
The gangways are flung oj)en, the custom-house ofiicers take their 
positions on the planking, and then an excited throng begins to push 
its way out. Inspected as they pass, they gather in companies, or 
rush about in confusion, actuated by the common desire to gain pos- 
session of their luggage, and assure themselves that their little store 
of goods and chattels is safe. As soon as the customs ofiicers have 
gone through their examinations, the chests and trunks are strapped 
again, unless, as sometimes happens, contraband articles are discov- 
ered. 

Meanwhile the immigrants are looked after by the agents of the 
steamship company, who take excellent care of every one. They em- 
ploy two interpreters, who speak all the languages which may hap- 
pen to be the mother tongue of any of the immigrants. The business 
office is at the upper end of the wharf. Nearly all the immigrants 
bring prepaid orders, which entitle them to a railroad ticket to the 
place of their destination. These orders they present at the business 
office, the interpreter standing by to convei-se with those who need his 
aid, and each order is checked, registered, and returned to the owner 
in an envelope, with a direction printed in six languages, — English, 
French, German, iLaiian, D.uii.<li, and Swedish, — informing them that 



14 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

they are to exchange it for railroad tickets at the railroad station out- 
side the gate. Meanwhile they find tables with seats and a huge 
stove AvhTch furnishes plenty of warmth. At the proper hour 
cooked food is furnished to all who desire it. Those who are des- 
tined to any place in Massachusetts or the other Eastern States are 
allowed to depart as soon as the customs officers have inspected their 
baggage. The others repair to the passenger station on the neigh- 
boring' wharf and wait for the train, on which they find food provided 
for them. The wharf, where their baggage is landed and transferred, 
is protected by a high gate ; and while the immigrants are disembark- 
ing, none but officials o^ agents are allowed to be present, so that the 
im°migrants are entirely free from the danger of being swindled by 
sharpers. Persons of respectable intentions are sometimes allowed to 
inquire for domestics, but the difficulties which they experience in 
finding any one who is anxious to get a situation convinces them that 
very fcAV of the immigrants come here at a venture. No fees are 
charged by the agents who care for them. 

At Portland and Baltimore much the same precautions are taken 
as at Boston. 

At New Orleans, a State Bureau of Immigration has provided 
offices for record, labor exchange, and land registry, the last furnish- 
ing official statements concerning the lands for sale in the interior of 
the Slate. A circular from the Commissioners of Immigration makes 
the following statement (we abbreviate it) which is worth considering : 

" The route via New Orleans and the Mississippi River for European 
immigrants destined even to the extreme Northwestern States and 
Territories, is cheaper, and more comfortable than that via New York. 
Being available in the winter time, it thereby enables the immigrant 
to save a summer's work, which, in the United States, is equivalent 
to the cost of transportation for himself and an ordinary family from 
Europe. The immigrant fare from Hamburg or Bremen to New York 
is precisely the same as to New Orleans. The railroad fare on the 
slow immigrant cars from New York to St. Louis, including less than 
one hundred pounds of baggage, is fully ten dollars more than the fare 
from New Orleans to St. Louis on large and commodious steamboats, 
with comfortable accommodations for passengers, and no account taken 
of the baggage, — a matter of veiy great importance." But this is a 
route to l)e taken only from October to April, on account of the un- 
healthy climate during the rest of the year. 

Some statistics with regard to immigration to the port of New 
York will be found at the conclusion of this part of the Handbook. 

SETTLEMENT. 

AVliere the residence of the immigrant is not already decided, it 
had better be made at some point in the interior. The great cities 
of the seaboard are generally the poorest homes for the new-comer, 
unless his skill in certain branches of industry or traffic makes such 
places the most advantageous for him. To the large majority of 
immigrants, skilled or unskilled, the agricultural, mining, and manufac- 
turing industries of the interior offer greater advantages than can be 
found on the coast. • 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



15 



IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETIES. 

In deciding upon a location, or upon the mode of getting to it, or 
upon any similar question, the immigrant, unless thoroughly pro- 
vided with old friends, will act Avisely in seeking new ones where 
they may be really found. At any port of debarkation, if we mistake 
not, and at many of the great industrial centres in the interior, soci- 
eties have been organized, generally by immigrants themselves, to 
aid immigrants in various ways. We give a list of these societies so 
far as we are advised, and recommend every reader of this volume 
whom they are intended to assist, to obtain their assistance in case of 
need, and even of doubt, on his part. Such societies as are omitted 
from the list will confer a great favor upon the Association publish- 
ing this Handbook, by forwarding their address and any account of 
their Avork which they may be willing to contribute towards the next 
edition. Some further details respecting one or two of these societies 
will be given under the cities where they are established, e. g. Ger- 
man Immigrant Aid Society, under New York. 



Place. 


Society. 


Office, President, or Agent. 


Boston. 


German. 


Julius Elson, 51 West 
Street. 


New York. 


German. 


13 Broadway. 




L'ish. 


51 Chambers Street. 


Philadelphia. 


German. 


24 South Seventh Street. 


Baltimore. 


German. 


272 South Broadway. 


Savannah. 


German. 




New Orleans. 


German. 


10 St. Peter's Street. 


Cincinnati. 


German. 




Chicago. 


Gcfman. 

Irish. 

Scandinavian. 




Fort Smith, Ark. 


German. 


Julius Happeck. 


St. Louis. 


German. 


315 Elm Street. 


St. Paul. 


German. 






Irish. 


32 Marshall Avenue. 




Scandinavian. 


5 Lafayette Avenue. 


Sacramento. 


German. 


C. WoUeb, Post Office 
Box 320. 


San Francisco. 


California Union 
French. 


• 




German. 


732 Washington Street. 




Irish. 






Italian. 






Scandinavian. 






now TO TRAVEL. 



Travel of some sort is commonly necessary to ensure a satisfactory 
settlement. And like everything else in a strange country, travel re- 
quires caution. The immigrant from the Continent of Europe will 
lind that many precautions to which he is accustomed there, are not 



16 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

taken here by the raihoad or steamboat officials. He must look out 
for himself, choose the right route, buy the right ticket, get into the 
right car, and so on, through his journey, without waiting for specific 
directions. 

Immigi-ants intending to settle in Maine, if landing at Portland or 
at Quebec, will be taken from either of these ports by the Grand 
Trunk Railroad to the interior of the State. Those seeking homes in 
New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecti- 
cut, landing at Boston, will find numerous roads to all parts of thos^i 
States. Those for New York, Neiu Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Deh- 
ware, landing at New York City, may take the Hudson River and 
New York Central Railroad, the Erie Railroad, the Allentown Line, 
or the New Jersey Railroad and Pennsylvania Central, or one of the 
shorter roads, according to the particular point which they wish to 
reach. Those for Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, 
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
Arkansas, landing at Baltimore, may proceed thence by various lines. 
Those for Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, landing at New Orleans, 
go thence by land or water. For Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minne- 
sota, the most direct route is either by the Grand Trunk Railroad 
from Portland or Quebec to Detroit, or the New York Central and 
Hudson River Railroad from New York to Suspension Bridge, near 
Niagara, or by the Boston and Albany Railroad and its connections 
from Boston to Suspension Bridge, and thence by the Great West- 
ern Railroad of Canada to Detroit, from which there is convenient 
railroad and steamboat communication. For Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
Iowa, and Missouri, the New York Central, Erie, or Pennsylvania 
Central Railroad takes passengers from New York, and connects with 
other lines for all parts of the West. Those landing at Baltimore can 
also easily reach the States just named b^' the Baltimore and Ohio 
Railroad and its connections. Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and 
Arizona can be reached most readily by the Pennsylvania Central, 
or the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and their connections, to St. 
Louis ; going on by the Pacific Railroad of Missouri and the Kansas 
Pacific Railroad. For Nebraska, Nevada, California, Oregon, and 
the Territories not mentioned, one may follow either of the before- 
named routes to Chicago ; thence either of the roads to Omaha, and 
finally, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads to their desti- 
nation. 

The folloA^png are the present rates of fare on immigrant trains to 
prominent points in the West from New York City by either of the 
three lines, Erie, New York Central, or Pennsylvania Central. Chil- 
dren under four years of age are carried free, and those between four 
and twelve are charged half price. Each adult passenger is allowed 
to take eighty pounds of baggage without extra charge. 

Fares from Extra Luggage Distance 

New York. per 100 lbs. in Miles. 

Ann Arbor, Mich. . . $11.10 $2.75 716 

Buff\ilo, N. Y. . . . 6.00 1.80 433 

B urli n jr ton, Iowa . . 18.40 4.00 1,122 

Cairo, 111 18.20 4.05 1,141 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



17 



Chattanooga, Tenn. 
Chicago, 111. 
Cincinnati, Ohio . 
Columbus, Ohio 
Des Moines, Iowa 
Detroit, Mich. 
Dubuque, Iowa 
Erie, Pa. . 
Fort Wayne, Ind. 
Galena, 111. 
Grand Haven, Mich. 
Green Bay, Wis. 
Indianapolis, Ind. 
Iowa City, Iowa 
Jefferson City, Mo. 
Junction City, Kansas 
Kalamazoo, Mich. 
Kansas City, Mo. 
Keokuk, Iowa 
La Crosse, Wis. 
Louisville, Ky. 
Madison, Wis. 
Marquette, Mich. 
Memphis, Tenn. 
Milwaukee, AVis. . 
Muscatine, Iowa 
Nebraska City, Neb. 
Omaha, Neb. . 
Oshkosh, Wis. 
Parkersburg, W. Vir. 
Pittsburg, Penn. . 
Port Sarnia, Can. W. 
Prairie du Chien, Wis. 
Quincy, 111. 
Eock Island, in. . 
. Sacramento, Cal. 
St. Joseph, Mo. 
St. Louis, Mo. . 
St. Paul, Minn. . 
San Francisco, Cal. 
Sioux City, Iowa 
Springfield, 111. 
Suspension Bridge, N. 
Terre Haute, Ind. 
Toledo, Ohio 
Topeka, Kansas 
Vicksburg, Miss. . 
Vincennes, Ind. 
Wheelinof, W. Vir. 



Fares from 


Extra Luggage 


Distance 


New York. 


per 100 lbs. 


in Miles. 


$19.70 


$5.60 


980 


13.00 


3.10 


911 


11.50 


2.80 


744 


10.00 


2.50 


624 


23.75 


5.30 


1,251 


10.00 


2.50 


679 


19.50 


4.35 


1,100 


8.30 


2.15 


508 


11.10 


2.75 


763 


19.45 


4.20 


1,083 


13.00 


3.10 


868 


20.50 


4.40 


1,153 


12.35 


3.00 


838 


20.15 


3.60 


1,147 


18.65 


4.75 


1,210 


30.85 


6.75 


1,504 


13.00 


3.10 


822 


21.85 


5.40 


1,3(36 


17.00 


3.9^ 


1,232 


21.50 


4.75 


1,1'Jl 


13.70 


3.25 


900 


17.60 


3.90 


1,019 


26.00 


5.05 


1,228 


19.70 


5.30 


1,289 


15.50 


3.55 


9.^S 


19.70 


4.45 


1,130 


26.30 


6.00 


1,500 


26.80 


6.00 


1,455 


19.30 


4.15 


1,104 


H.45 


2.15 


569 


7.10 


2.60 


431 


8.50 


2.20 


485 


20.50 


4.45 


1,190 


16.30 


3.75 


1,176 


18.50 


4.20 


1,093 


60.00 


8.00 


2,900 


21.85 


5.35 


1,385 


16.10 


3.75 


1,840 


26.00 


5.80 


1,441 


60.00 


8.00 


3,300 


33.00 


6.85 


1,453 


14.90 


3.50 


1,062 


6.00 


1.80 


527 


13.25 


3.15 


912 


10.35 


2.60 


742 


26.20 


6.05 


1,433 


23.20 


7.45 


1,542 


13.95 


3.30 


936 


8.45 


2.20 


522 



18 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Charges from Portland and Boston are about ten per cent, more 
than the above ; from Philadelphia, about five per cent, less ; from 
Baltimore, about ten per cent. less. 

All these rates are from time to time revised, the general tendency- 
being toward lower prices ; and where rail comes into competition 
with water transportation, the charges, are considerably lower in sum- 
mer than in winter. 

Steamboat lines usually charge less, but are slower, and the deck 
passage furnished to immigrants is often exposed and uncomfortable. 

It is to be understood that the immigrant trains upon most of the 
roads are made up of old and uncomfortable carriages, though never so 
much so as the third-class carriages of Europe. They travel slowly, 
fifteen miles an hour on the average, and with frequent delays. Any 
one with a little spare money may take the general passenger trains, 
and save time and meals upon his journey. 

Of ordinary railway travelling in the United States, the Scotch 
farmer aheady quoted speaks enthusiastically : 

" AlthQugh somewhat far advanced, I cannot close this report with- 
out remarking on the vast superiority of the American mode of rail- 
way travelling as contrasted with our system at home. There, in the 
railway carriage as everywhere else, all men are equal. There are 
no first, second, and third classes either in carriages or passengers ; 
and the accommodation is magnificent. The seats are placed in 
rows along the sides of the carriages, with an open space between, 
and are finely cushioned. Entrance is by a door in the ends. At 
each end also a stove "is placed, and kept lighted in cold weather. 
Among other conveniences there are smoking-cars, water-closets, 
drinking-water, and sometimes a dining-car, gorgeously fitted up, 
where all creature comforts can be got at reasonable charges ; so 
that the longest journey is rendered comfortable in some degree." 

As this is no place for time tables or other details respecting rail- 
road or steamboat routes, the reader is recommended to provide him- 
self with such a guide-book as he will find for sale at any principal 
depot. 

BUILDING. 

In case the immigrant decides to settle upon unoccupied land, he 
will be obliged to build, and a few suggestions are given to help him 
in this important undertaking. 

The most usual building material for farm-houses is wood. This 
is used either in hewn timbers for the walls of the building, with 
sawed stuff" for the floors and fittings, making what is called a log- 
house, or entirely in sawed stuff", in which case it is called a frame- 
house. ^ATiere timber is abundant, the saw-mill distant, and labor 
scarce, the house with walls of hewn timbers is generally to be 
recommended, and is well suited to the extremes of the American 
climate, being warm in winter and cool in summer. Houses of boards 
should be built with care to have them warm enough for the winter, 
provided they are north of Southern Virginia, Tennessee, or Missouri. 
To secure this, there should be a coat of plaster against the outer 
boards so as to give a tight air space in the walls. 

At many points in the West, one may buy framed houses with the 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



19 



pieces numbered, so that they can be easily transported and put up 
expeditiously. 

Brick and stone are generally' more costly than wood, and therefore 
less used than in Europe. 

In building it should be remembered that pine does not endure 
well in contact with the ground. Cedar, chestnut, or locust is the 
proper wood for such a position. All woods exposed to the rain are 
the better for whitewash or paint. 

If the region is swampy or subject to fevers, the house should stand 
on the highest land, and the bedrooms as high in the house as possi- 
ble. Bedrooms should never be on the ground floor if it can be 
avoided. 

In the prairie country, trees should be planted as soon as possible 
on the north side of the house. Six roAvs or more of pines, fifteen 
feet apart, will make a great shelter in a few years against the severe 
winds from that direction. 

The main point to be remembered is that the heat of summer and 
the cold of winter are much greater than in Europe. Houses should 
be built with reference to this. 

STATISTICS FOR 1870. 

The following table gives the total number of immigrants arriving 
in the different ports of the United States during the year ending 
September 30th, 1870 : — 





Great 
Britain. 


Ireland. 


Germany. 


Norway 

and 
Sweden. 


China. 


British 
N. A. P. 


All 
others. 


December 31, 1869. 
March 31,1870. . 
June 3a, 1870 . . 
September 30, 1870 


22,117 
11,633 
39,346 
25,391 


8,656 

4,872 

30,941 

12,795 


26,576 

8,881 

51,555 

19,752 


3,652 

483 

15,382 

6,491 

26,003 


1,965 
1,732 
6,453 

2,886 


9,100 

7,609 

14,889 

26,823 


4,872 
3,280 
7.216 
4,162 




98,437 


57,264 


106,764 


13,036 


58,421 


19,530 



379,510 



The following table of arrivals at Immigrant Landing Depot shows 
the immigration to the port of New York for the year 1870. 





Steamers. 


Sailing Vessels. 


Total 
Number of 
Passenger.-^. 


From what Port. 


No. 

224 
74 
20 
95 
18 

431 


Passengers. 


No. 

27 

2 

24 

47 
2 

102 


Passengers. 


Liverpool and Quecn-'town . . . 
Glasgow and Londoudorry . . . 

London and Havre 

Bremen and Hamburg 

Other Ports ... 


118,300 

23,398 

4,605 

43,703 

5,135 


5.075 

371 

1,507 

11,435 

25 


123,375 
23,769 

6,112 
55,138 

5,160 




195,141 


18,413 


213,554 



20 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



Tlie Castle Garden Labor Bureau reports the following : — 

1. Engagements. — From January 1st to December 31st, 1870, the 
Labor Bureau procured employment for 27,912 persons, namely, 
17,857 males, 10,055 females. Of the males, 3,186 were mechanics, 
14,671 agricultural and common laborers. Of the females, 306 were 
skilled laborers (cooks, laundresses, seamstresses, weavers, etc.), and 
9,749 were common house servants. 

2. Education. — Of the 27,912 immigrants thus cared for at the 
Bureau, 23,312 (15,433 males, 7,879 females) could read and write; 
and 4,600 (2,424 males, 2,176 females) could not, 

3. Distribution of Labor. — From a table prepared at the Bureau, it 
appears that the supply of labor was distributed chiefly in the city of 
New York and the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. 



New York City. New York State. New Jersey. Connecticut. 

Males. Females. Males. Females. Males. Females. Males. Females. 
4,704 7,411 6,468 869 4,341 1,499 927 201 



making 26,420 out of the total 27,912. 



4. Occupations. 
through this office 
Apprentices 
Bakers . 
Bar-keepers . 
Basket-makers 
Blacksmiths 
Bookbinders 
Brass- finishers 
Brewers . 
Brick-layers 
Brush-makers 
Butchers 
Cabinet-maker 
Cap-makers . 
Carpenters 
Chemists 
Cigar-makers 
Compositors 
Confectioners 
Cooks 
Coopers . 
Cutlers 
Deck-hands 
Druo-oists 
Dyers 
Engineers . 
Engravers 
Florists 

Fresco-painters 
Furriers 
Gardeners 



— Those of men and boys 
were as follows : — 



who found employment 



29 


Gas-fitters 


3 


77 


Gilders 


10 


18 


Goldsmiths 


9 


3 


Grocery clerks 


23 


59 


Hatters .... 


21 


34 


Heaters 


23 


16 


Iron-moulders . 


74 


49 


Lithographers 


10 


28 


Locksmiths 


79 


3 


Machinists . 


74 


60 


Masons .... 


61 


371 


Millers 


12 


8 


Miners .... 


80 


89 


Painters 


70 


3 


Paper-hangers 


11 


32 


Plasterers 


6 


11 


Plumbers 


4 


23 


Polishers 


25 


10 


Porters .... 


37 


21 


Printers 


21 


2 


Puddlers .... 


57 


43 


Eopemakers 


2 


5 


Saddlers and harness-maker 


s 61 


10 


Shoemakers 


345 


2 


Slate-roofers . . . 


2 


10 


Soap-makers 


5 


34 


Spinners .... 


11 


21 


Stone-cutters 


31 


3 


Tailors .... 


315 


143 


Tanners 


32 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



21 



Tinsmiths 
Turners 
Upholsterers 
Varnishers . 
Wagon-smiths . 


48 
. 30 

25 
. 8 

31 
. 43 


Watchmakers . 
Weavers 
"Wheelwrights . 
Wine-coopers 
Wood-carvers . 


• 


9 

. 167 

34 

7 

10 


vv alters 

Total . 


. 


3,186 





5. Wages. — (a.) Farm hands and female servants are paid ac- 
cordino- to the following averages : — 



January- 
February 
March 
April 
May . 
June 
July . 
August . 
October 
November 
December 



Males, per month, 
and board. 

. $9.25 
13.25 
14.75 
16.75 
17.75 
20.75 
19.00 
15.25 
11.50 
10.50 
9.00 



Females, per month, 
and board. 

$9.00 

9.25 

9.75 • 
10.00 
10.25 
10.25 
10.00 
IQ.OO 
10.00 

9.75 

9.75 



(b.) Common laborers earn from $1.50 to $2.00 per day, without 
board. 

(c.) The wages for skilled labor cannot be exactly specified, as the 
workmen make their own contracts with the employers, the price 
being regulated by ability and the season. 

* indicates -wages with board, d. means day, w. week, m. month. 



Apprentices, 

Bakers, 

*Barbers, 

*Bar-keepers, 

Basket-makers, 

Blacksmiths, 

Bookbinders, 

Brass-finishers, 

*Brewers, 

Brick-layers, 

Brush-makers, 

*Butchers, 

Cabinet-makers, 

Cap-makers, 

Carpenters, 

Chemists, 

Cigar-makers, 

Compositors,. 

* Confectioners, 

*Cooks, 

Coopers, 



$4.00-5.00 w. 

$6.00-14.00 m. 

$9.00-15.00 m. 

$10.00-30.00 m. 

$15.00-18.00 w. 

$2.00-3.50 d. 

$10.00-18.00 w. 

$10.00-20.00 m. 

$15.00-25.00 m. 

$3.50-4.00 d. 

$2.00-2.50 d. 

$10.00-20.00 m. 

$2.00-3.00 d. 

$8.00-12.00 w. 

$3.00-4.00 d. 

$10.00-12.00 w. 

$8.00-15.00 w. 

$15.00-25.00 w. 

$30.00-40.00 m. 

$25.00-100.00 m. 

$18.00-20.00 w. 



Cutlers, 

*Deck-hands, 

*Druggists, 

*Dyers, 

Engineers, 

Engravers, 

*Florists, 

Fresco-painters, 

Furriers, 

* Gardeners, 

Gas-fitters, 

Gilders, 

Goldsmiths, 

*Grocery clerks, 

Hatters, 

*Heaters, 

Iron-moulders, 

Lithographers, 

Locksmiths, 

Machinists, 

Masons, 



$12.00-18.00 w. 
$25.00-30.00 m. 
$18.00-25.00 m. 
$20,00-25.00 m. 
$15.00-18.00 w. 
$15.00-35.00 w. 
$15.00-25.00 m. 
$15.00-35.00 w. 
$10.00-15.00 -vv. 
$15.00-25.00 m. 
$15.00-20.00 w. 
$15.00-18.00 w. 
$20.00-30.00 w. 

$8.00-15.00 m. 
$15.00-20.00 w. 
$25.00-30.00 m. 
$18.00-20.00 w. 
$12.00-25.00 w. 

$8.00-15.00 w. 

$15.00-18.00 w. 

$3.00-4.00 d. 



22 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



*Millers, 
Miners, 
Painters, 
Paper-hangers, 
-Plasterers, 
Plumbers, 
Polishers, 
Porters, 
Printers, 
Puddlers, 
Rope-makers, 
Saddlers and har- 
ness-makers. 
Shoemakers, 
S.late-roofers, 
Spinners, 



$12.00-18.00 m. 
90 cents per ton. 
$10.00-15.00 w. 
$10.00-15.00 w. 
$3.00-5.00 d. 
$2.50-3.00 d. 
$10.00^15.00 w. 

$8.00-15.00 w. 
$12.00-18.00 w. 

$2.00 d. 

$12.00-15.00 w. 

$12.00-15.00 w. 

$9.00-15.00 w. 

$2.00-3.00 d. 

$9.00-12.00 w. 



Soap-makers, 

Stone-cutters, 

Tailors, 

*Tanners, 

Tinsmiths, 

Turners, . 

Upholsterers, 

Varnishers, 

Wagon-smiths, 

^Waiters, 

Watchmakers, 

Weavers, 

Wheelwrights, 

* Wine-coopers, 

Wood-carvers, 



$10.00-12.00 w. 
$3.00-4.00 d. 
$10.00-20.00 w. 
$10.00-15.00 m. 
$10.00-15.00 w. 
$10.00-18.00 w. 
$12.00-18.00 w. 

$9.00-12.00 w. 
$10.00-18.00 w. 
$15.00-30.00 m. 
$15.00-20.00 w. 

$9.00-12.00 w. 

$15.00-16.00 w. 

$30.00 m. 

$15.00-20.00 w. 



The preceding table furnishes a standard of comparison. In pro- 
portion as the area of labor expands, and its occupants diminish in 
number, their wages will be more' remunerative. As the immigrant 
proceeds westward, therefore, leaving the somewhat overstocked 
industries of the seaboard behind him, he will find, as a general rule, 
that he earns more, and spends less for the necessaries of life. There 
is the greater reason for the advice already given him, to get into the 
interior instead of lingering in the port where he may arrive. 

It was the intention of this compilation to give a full statement of 
wages in all employments and in all parts of the United States. But 
after the expenditure of much time and money, the data obtained 
proved insufficient for the purpose. In fact, so many circumstances 
are to be taken into account, the various rates of spending as well as 
those of earning money, that we doubt the practicability of di-a-vving 
tip a table of wages by which it would be safe for a stranger to shape 
his course. At all events, such a table, if it can be constructed, must 
be deferred to a later edition of this Handbook. 



MONEY. 

Values are expressed in dollars and cents, the sign $ standing for 
dollars. Thus $1.25 means one dollar and twenty-five cents. The 
dollar contains one hundred cents. 

The United States coinage is in copper or nickel, or both, for cents, 
silver for dollars and parts of a dollar, gold for dollars and dollar 
pieces.' At present no coins but cents are in general circulation. 
The currency is in paper, either fractional, i. e. parts of a dollar, or 
bills from one dollar to one thousand dollars ; the former issued by the 
government, the latter both by the government and the banks. 
Paper money is not equal in value to gold or silver ; and the immigrant 
who brings out his savings in coin, is entitled to a premium on ex- 
changing it for the common currency. This premium is now about 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



23 



ten per cent., so that every dollar in gold or silver is worth ten cents 
more in paper. 

Some of the principal gold and silver pieces of Europe are at the 
followino; rates in United States o-old and silver : — 



Gold. 



England, sovereign 

France, 20 francs 

N. Germany, 10 thalers 

a a 

S. Germany, ducat 
Sweden, " 



Eucjland, shillino- 
France, 5 francs . 
N. Germany, thaler 
S. Germany, llorin 
Sweden, rix dollar 



Prussian 



Silver. 



. 


$4.84 




3.84 


. 


7.90 


, 


7.97 


. 


2.28 




2.23 


. 22 cents. 


98 


a 


• 72 


u 


41 


(( 


$1.11 





WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

Tliese are the same in the United States as in Great Britain. 
The following table gives the value of the principal units in French, 
German, and Swedish reckoning : — 



United States. 


France. 


Prussia. 


Sweden. 


1 foot = 


30 48 centimetres 


11.653 zoll 


1.027 fot 


1 yard = 


91.44 centinie'res 


1.37 ellen 


3.08 fot 


1 mile = 


1.609 kilometres 


427.3 r 11 then 


54.2 ref 


1 acre = 


40.466 ares 


1.585 morgen 


4.59 square ref 


1 gallon = 


4.54 litres 


3.968 quart 


1.736 kannor 


I bushel = 


33.35 litres 


10.58 mctzen 


7.936 kappar 


1 pound = 


453.59 grammes 


31.03 loth 


1.068 skalpund 


1 "short" ton = 


907.18 kilogrammes 


17.63 centner 


21.355 centner 



POSTAGE. 



The law requires postage on all letters, excepting those Avritten to 
the President or Vice President, or members of Congress, or (on 
official business) to the chiefs of the executive departments of the 
government, and the heads of bureaus and chief clerks, and others in- 
vested with the franking privilege, to be prepaid by stamps or stamped 
envelopes, prepayment in money being prohibited. 

All drop letters must be prepaid. Tlie rate of postage on drop 
letters, at offices where free delivery by carrier is established, is two 
cents per half ounce, or fraction of a half ounce ; at offices where such 
free delivery is not established, the rate is one cent. 

The single rate of postage on all domestic mail letters throughout 
the United States is three cents per half ounce, with an addifional 
rate of three cents for each additional half ounce, or fraction of a half 
ounce. 



24 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



To Foreign Countries. 



Australia, British mail, via Southamptoa .... 

Australia, British mail, via Marseilles 

Australia, via San Francisco 

Australia, via Brindisi 

Belgium 

Belgium, via Bremen and Hamburg . • 

Canada (including New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) (let- 
ters, if unpaid, 10c. per half ounce) .... 

Denmark, i-i'a North German Union, direct (if prepaid, 10c.) 

Denmark, via North German Union, closed mail, via Eng- 
land (if prepaid, 13c.) 

France (by every steamer via England) 

France (by direct steamer only) 

German States (Austria, Baden, Bavaria, Prussia, Wurtem- 
berg), via North German Union, direct . . . . 

German States, via North German Union, closed mail, via 
England 

Great Britain (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) 

Holland 

Italy, via North German Union, direct .... 

Italy, via North German Union, closed mail, via England, 

Italy, closed mail 

Sweden, via North German Union, direct (prepaid, lie.) 

Sweden, via North German Union, closed mail,ria England 
(prepaid, 14c.) 

Switzerland, via North German Union, direct 

Switzerland, via North German Union, closed mail, via 
England 

Switzerland, French mail 

Switzerland, closed mail 



Letters not 


Regular Fee for 


exceeding 


Registered Let- 


one Half 


ters and other 


Ounce. 


Postal Packets. 


cts. 


cts. 


16 


16 


24 


16 


• 10 




22 


16 


10* 


8 


12* 


8 


6* 


5 


13* 


8t 


16* 


8t • 


4* 




10 


- 


7* 


8 


10* 


8 


6* 


8 


10* 


8 


11* 


8t 


14* 


8t 


10* 


8 


13* 


8t 


16* 


8t 


12* 


8 


15* 


8 


42* 




10* 


8 



* Indicates that in cafes where it is annexed, unless the letter be registered, prepay- 
ment is optional ; iu all other cases prepayment is required, 
t The registration is only for letters. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 25 



PART II. 



THE UNITED STATES. 

North America looks, as it were, across the Atlantic Ocean 
towards Europe ; across the Pacific towards Asia. Its central zone, 
covering about twenty degrees of latitude, and fifty-five of longitude, 
with an area of 3,000,000 square miles, is occupied by the United 
States. A large tract in the northwest, of about 600,000 square 
miles, belongs to the same nation. 

The Atlantic coast line is about 2,200 miles, the Gulf about 1,800, 
and the Pacific, both Avestern and northwestern, more than 2,000. 
Including the shores of bays, sounds, and lakes, the line is 30,000 
miles in length. 

Two ranges of mountains, the Alleghanies in the east, and the 
Rocky Mountains in the west, divide the country into three great 
regions : 1st, the Atlantic Sloi>e, between the Alleghanies and the 
ocean ; 2d, the Mississippi Basin, between the Alleghanies and the 
Rocky Mountains ; and 3d, between the latter and the Pacific, the 
Pacific Slope, — not a single region, but broken by two ranges, 
the Sierra Nevada, and the Coast or Cascade, which intervene be- 
tween the great chain of the Rocky Mountains and the western shore. 

The principal divisions according to river systems are : 1st, the 
St. Lawrence, in the north; 2d, the Atlantic, including the Connect- 
icut, Hudson, Delaware, and Potomac, in the east ; 3d, the Missis- 
sippi, running with the Missouri (in fact the main stream) from 
the northern border to the Gulf of Mexico, and taking in the Ohio 
on the east, and the Arkansas and Red River on the west, with 
many lesser tributaries ; 4th, the Texas Slope, with the Colorado 
and Rio Grande ; 5th, the Pacific Slope, with the Columbia and 
another Colorado, together with the basins of the Red River in the 
north, and Utah in the interior. 

The Great Lakes on the northern border are a distinctive geo- 
graphical feature. It is computed that they contain more than 
half of all the fresh water in the globe. 

CLIMATE. 

Compared with that of Northern Europe, the climate of the east- 
ern and central regions of the United States is more backward in 
spring, hotter in summer, brighter in autumn, and colder in winter. 
The autumn is generally considered the most beautiful season, equa- 



26 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

ble in temperature, brilliant in foliage, and during one or two weeks, 
called Indian summer, wrapped in a soft and glowing haze. Just 
as in Europe, so here, there are striking differences between the 
north and the south, the coast and the interior, highlands and low- 
lands, dry and damp soils. 

If the immigrant likes a warm climate, he will turn southward ; 
but he must be on his guard against unhealthy situations, and against 
unhealthy seasons in almost all situations. In the farther Northwest 
and West he will find mild winters, windy summers, and a distinc- 
tion between dry and v/et months not known elsewhere. 

Perhaps the first characteristic of the American climate is that it 
is not all one, but rather manifold. An average temperature of 40° 
to 47° Fahr., or 4^° to 8^ Cent., prevails in Maine, New Hampshire, 
Vermont, Northern New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, 
Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington ; of 47° to 52° Fahr., or 
8§° to 11° Cent., in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, 
Southern New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, 
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, loAva, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming ; of 
.52° to 60° Fahr., or 11° to 15^° Cent., in Delaware, Maryland, Dis- 
trict of Columbia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kan- 
sas, Nevada, Northern. California, Colorado, Utah, Northern New 
Mexico, and Arizona; of 60° to 77° Fahr., or 15i° to 25° Cent., in 
North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Southern California, and Southern New 
Mexico. 

But no table can give an accurate idea of the changes in tempera- 
ture from one season to another, or; as pften occurs, from one day to 
another. An immigrant arriving in summer will be surprised at the 
coldness of the following winter, or, arriving in winter, at the heat 
of the following summer. Were he to decide upon a location accord- 
ing to the atmospheric conditions of any one month or day, he would 
probably often be disappointed during the course of the year. On 
this point, as on many others, local inquiries must be made. 

Another, and a very striking characteristic of the climate is its 
dryness. Fine Aveather is apt to be moist in Europe, but not in 
America. Towards the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific there is 
more moisture than elsewhere ; biit the atmosphere throughout the 
country is dry. The efl'ect of this on various industries is given in 
a recent essay, showing how clothes dry sooner after being washed, 
paint and plaster after being put on walls, skins after being tanned. 
Mouldiness is less troublesome, and provisions can be more safely 
stored than in Europe. On the other hand, it is mentioned that 
those who have been accustomed in their native country to make a 
supply of bread for several weeks, find their bread in the United 
States harden and become unpalatable in a few days. 

An immigrant Avill soon find that the climate afTects his appetite 
and his diet. He needs more meat than he did at home, and wher- 
ever he boards he gets it. On the other hand, he neither needs nor 
is able to bear the stinuilants to which he may have been accustomed ; 
and if he has been in the habit of taking strong drinks, the sooner 
he dis<.'ontinues it here, the better. 



ro THE UNITED STATES. 27 

From rain tables, prepared from observations during a series of 
years at different places, it appears that the moan yearly fall of rain 
is about thirty-five inches. On the Atlantic coast, and indeed over 
most of the country, the rain-fall is distributed throughout the year. 
On the Pacific coast, the rains occur as a rule in the winter and 
spring months. Among the llocky Mountains, the rain-fall is light, 
varying from three to twenty inches annually, with occasional violent 
showers. Snow rarely falls south of the Potomac, except among the 
mountains. Its average duration in the north is from three months 
on the coast to five months in the interior. 



SOIL. 

Th s will be described under the States and Territories, Parts III. 
and IV. 

MINERAL RESOURCES. 

The mining region may be naturally divided into four districts, 
each having a tolerably distinct character : 1st, the region of the 
Alleghany Mountains ; 2d, the valley of the Mississippi. 3d, the 
valley of the Great Lakes ; 4th, the Cordillej' as, or ranges from the 
eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. 

The Alleghany region abounds in coal from the northern part of 
Alabama to the New York line. The western part of Virginia, 
eastern Ohio, central Pennsylvania, and eastern Kentucky contain the 
Appalachian coal field, which has over 50,000 square miles of work- 
able coal, all bituminous except a few hundred square miles of anthra- 
cite in central Pennsylvania. This coal field is as yet imperfectly 
developed, and a large part of the lands containing Avorkable seams 
is for sale at lovf prices. The coal in this region is divided into three 
main varieties, ordinary bituminous, carinel, and anthracite. Just east 
of this great basin is a narrow slip of coal land extending through 
southern Virginia, near Richmond, down into North Carolina, which 
contains some very good bituminous coal. A small amount of hard 
coal is also found in Rhode Island. Iron ore occurs in abundance at 
a great many points along the Alleghany range between Canada and 
Georgia. Copper has been worked in Vermont, Connecticut, New 
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and northern Georgia. Lead occurs at a num- 
ber of points, and is now worked in southw^estern Virginia. Gold has 
been found at several points, but never worked to profit except along 
the eastern flanks of the mountains in Virginia, North and South Caro- 
lina, and Georgia. Mines and washings in these States were carried 
on until the outbreak of the Rebellion, in some cases Avith consider- 
able profit. 

In the Mississippi valley we have another coal field, which under- 
lies a large part of Illinois and southwestern Kentucky. This basin, 
though less extensive and valuable than the Alleghany basin, contains 
a great deal of good coal, most of Avliich is accessible without deep 
working. Except in coal and iron, there is little mineral wealth as 
yet discovered east of the Mississippi. West of that river we have, 
in Missouri, extensive deposits of lead ore ; on the borders of AVi - ' 
consin, Iowa, and Illinois, many small mines of lead, producing once 



28 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

large quantities of that metal, but now somewhat less than it was a 
fcAv' years ago. The richest iron ores of the Mississippi valley are 
those about Iron Mountain in Missouri, Avhere high hills are composed 
of quite pure ores. Zinc is found in Wisconsin and Arkansas. 

That portion of the basin of the Great Lakes which lies to the west 
of Lake Erie contains some very valuable mineral lands. Michigan 
contains one of the richest iron regions, Avhose mines now supply 
more ore than those of any other region in the LTnited States. The 
basin of Lake Superior also affords the principal copper mines of 
North America. Although these mines are now less profitable than 
they were some years ago, they are still surpassed only by those of 
Great Britain and Chili. 

The mountainous region of the West, stretching from the Plains to 
the Pacific, is peculiarly rich in mineral deposits of varied character. 
Coal has been found in considerable quantities in Colorado, but of 
rather inferior quality ; a better quality has been found in Utah, 
Wyoming, and California. No considerable deposits have as yet been 
developed in any other part of this district. Gold mines are worked 
extensively and with success in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, 
Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and California ; the largest number 
of successful mines in the last State. Some of the lodes in this 
region are among the most productive that have ever been worked. 
Silver ores occur throughout these States and Territories, but the 
mines of Nevada are the most extensive, and proiuise very large yields 
in the future. Copper and lead ores have been found at various 
points, but the cost of labor and transportation has caused them to 
remain uuAvorked, except in California, where they have been mined 
•successfully. The quicksilver mines of California are also worked 
to advantage. 

The immigrant miner knows the hardships of mining. He needs to 
be cautioned only on tAvo points. 1st. The strikes among the coal 
miners of the East will interfere with his steady employment as one 
of their number. 2d. The necessity of capital to develop the gold 
mines of the West will prevent his success if he has only labor to bring 
with him. 

ANIMALS. 

1. Domesticated. — North America has but one native animal which 
has ever been domesticated, that is, 'the turkey. All the other animals 
which are kept in that state have been brought by European col- 
onists. Though this continent has furnished no animals useful to 
man, all those which have been brought here by him succeed very 
well indeed. All the domesticated animals of Europe can be raised 
over the whole of the United States, and in by far the larger part 
fare quite as well as at home. Horses do well everywhere, and are 
on the average better than in Europe. Horned cattle, except on the 
sandy soils of South Carolina, Georgia, and the other States of the 
extreme South, are as good as the best European. Sheep, both 
for wool, and flesh, prosper over the whole country. Swine succeed 
equally well. On the Avhole, these animals are less liable to contagious 
diseases than in Europe. It must be noticed, however, that at some 
points in the new lands of the West, especially along the borders of 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 29 

the Ohio River and its tributaries, there is a peculiar disease termed 
" milk sickness " which is fatal to cattle, and can be communicated 
through the flesh and milk of the animals to man. This disease 
is singularly local, rarely affecting the cattle in any but a small 
region in each country where it occurs. It does not affect other 
animals. These localities are always well known, and the settler can 
easily avoid them. The disease is supposed to be caused by certain 
peculiar elements in the water of the springs where it occurs. While 
the settler should exercise caution on this point, he need not allow it 
to deter him from locating in the region where the disease occurs. 

The best region for raising horned cattle and horses is found in 
the valley of the Ohio, especially that part of it which lies to the 
south of the main stream and in the State of Missouri. The State 
of Texas is the region where they can be reared at the least expense, 
as no winter provision is necessary there; but the quality of the cattle 
is inferior, and they are more liable to disease than in other localities 
farther north and east. Goats have been introduced at several points, 
and have succeeded well. The Cashmere variety is beginning to be 
reared with success. Camels have been successfully reared, but are 
not required, and therefore are no longer used. The wild buffalo has 
not been tamed, nor is that from Europe in use. 

All the domesticated birds which are reared in Europe succeed 
very well indeed. 

The culture of the silk-worm was followed for a while with great 
success. The dearness of labor during the last twenty-five years has 
made it difficult to compete with European manufactm^es. The worm 
is freer from disease than in Europe, and on this account the eggs of 
the silk-Avorm are shipped in large quantities Irom San Francisco to 
Europe, where they give larger cocoons than native eggs. Bees suc- 
ceed in all cultivated regions ; wild swarms are numerous in the West. 
Do not try to bring European animals to America. You are likely to 
fail in the effort to get them over the water, and the native stocks 
will suit your purpose better. 

Some native silk-worms which feed upon the wild cherry have been 
reared experimentally, with success about Washington. The silk 
produced is of a coarse quality, and cannot be reeled from the cocoon, 
but has to be carded. 

2. Wild. — Most of the large game of the country has been killed 
off. Deer are rare east of the Alferiianies ; in the Western States they 
abound at certain points. The other large-horned animals are not 
found out of the Indian country, except in a part of northern Maine 
where moose still exist. Bears are also (juite rare, being essentially 
limited to the States beyond the Mississippi and the Southern States. 
Beavers are about extinct in all the region east of the Mississippi. The 
birds differ little from those of Europe. Water-fowl are plentiful in 
their season in the level region of the Northwest. Partridges and quail 
(small birds related to pheasants) abound in the West and South- 
west. There being no laws for the protection of birds in most of the 
States, except against gunning at certain seasons, they are rapidly 
killed off. 

Wolves are almost unknown east of the Mississippi. The common 
bear is not dangerous ; the grizzly is not found out of the Rocky 



30 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Mountain region. Small animals like the minx and weasel abound in 
the frontier settlements, and are somewhat destructive to fowls. They 
soon become extirpated. Venomous serpents are found in small num- 
ber over nearly the whole country, but fatal accidents are rare, much 
rarer than deaths by lightning in Europe. AVhen bitten by any ser- 
pent with a blunt tail and rather sluggish movement, the wound 
should be burnt. A good plan is to make a cross-shaped cut through 
the wound, Avipe it, pour a little gunpowder upon it, and set it on fire. 
If on a limb, tie a tight bandage above the wound so as to stop the 
blood. Alchoholic stimulants are also very useful. Not one serpent 
in a hundred is dangerous. 

Insect plagues are not more frequent than in Europe. Except in 
Texas, there are none which can do serious injury to man by their 
sting or bite. 

There are no insects very injurious to stock Avhichare not found in 
Europe. 

The marine fishes of the United States on the eastern coast resem- 
ble those of Europe quite closely. The principal catch of school fishes 
is of mackerel and herrings. The ground fish of most value are the 
cod and the halibut. Salmon, once very plentiful on the whole coast, 
have been driven from most of the rivers ; efforts are now being made 
in the New England States to restore them to the streams by artificial 
breeding, with prospects of success. The shad, a fish related to the 
mackerel, but much larger, and counted the most valuable market fish 
all things considered, abounds in the streams from the Florida coast 
northward at certain seasons. 

The fresh-water fishes of the United States are not as varied as 
those of Europe. Trout abound in the mountain streams of the little 
settled regions. The fresh-water lakes of the Northwest are stocked 
with valuable edible fishes, but the settler can set little store by 
this resource. 

PLANTS. 

The timber trees of America resemble those of Europe in a general 
way. Pines, firs, larches, beeches, oaks, lindens, walnuts, poplars, 
maples, willows, etc., etc., abound in the regions of similar tempera- 
ture to those in Europe. All these forms of trees, however, are found 
in greater variety here than in the Old World ; several times as 
many different sorts of some forms as in Europe. There are also 
very fine kinds of trees, such as the tulip-trees, the sweet gums of 
the central region of the United States, the live-oaks and cypress of 
the Southern States, and the giant trees or sequoias which once, many 
thousand years ago, lived in Europe, but now have perished there. 

In New England, along the high lands of the Alleghanies, and over 
the sand plains of the Carolinas and Georgia, pines and other 
evergreen cone-bearing trees abound ; in the valley of the Ohio, oaks, 
maples, tulip-trees, walnuts, ash, sycamores, locusts, etc. West of the 
Ohio (State) line timber becomes scarcer. Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, 
Iowa, Wisconsin, and all the region from two to five hundred miles 
east of the llocky Mountains count scarcity of timber among their 
most disadvantageous features. The want of timber is due to the 
spread of fires ; most trees do well on the prairie soil. The Robinia 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 31 

pseudacacia or locust, one of the most beautiful and valuable trees, 
giving a timber Avhicli rots more slowly than any other, grows with 
such rapidity on the better sorts of prairie soil ihat in ten to twenty 
years it is ready for the market. As yet the want of timber in the 
West has been little felt. Nearly all the prairies have patches of 
woodland every few miles. 

Chestnuts will grow well except in the very coldest regions. Wal- 
nuts, the native and English kinds, flourish almost everywhere. 

Sugar is made in large quantities from the juice of the sugar-maple. 
In New England and New York many farmers find it a profitable crop. 

The southern pine, found in the Carolinas and Georgia, as Avell as 
in other States, though in less abundance, yields resin, tar, and tin*- 
pentine. The trees whose bark is useful in tanning, namely, the red 
oaks, the hemlock, and the sumacs, abound throughout the central 
and northern regions. 

The vegetation is a valuable indication of the quality of soil. As 
a general rule, the hard-wood trees which lose their leaves every year, 
indicate richer soil than the pines, firs, spruces, and hemlocks. In the 
valley of the Ohio, the best lands are those which have a varied tim- 
ber. Beech and walnut grow on good soils ; where the oaks predom- 
inate, the land is generally of a less' fertile character. 

The follov>'ing trees, being of quick growth, are valuable plants in 
those regions where "trees are not plenty : — 

Cotton-wood (Populus monUiferd), very rapid growth, wood good 
for many purposes, but not enduring. 

Locust {Robinia })iieudacacia), rapid growth, wood enduring, flowers 
very beautiful and sweet scented ; grass will grow beneath the trees. 

The black-walnut (Juglans nir/ra), rapid growth, beautiful tree, 
valuable wood, but not useful until the tree is at least thirty years 
old, except for commoner uses. Wood not fitted for out-door use. 

The wild fruits are much like those in Europe. Strawberries 
abound in the northeast region. Blueberries, huckleberries, and 
cranberries, fruits of heath-like plants, abound along the shore region, 
some ranging far Avest. Blackberries are found over nearly the 
Avhole country, and raspberries are common in the northern regions. 
Tavo wild American fruits are unlike any found in Europe. The 
papaAv, a tall shrub or small tree, groAvs to tAventy-five feet in height 
on good land, bearing a number of fruit, as large as small cucum- 
bers, Avith a rich custard-like interior. The persimmon, or date plum, 
groAvs in southern Ncav York and Illinois and to the soutliAvard ; a 
small, bushy tree, Avith fruit much like dates Avhen quite ripe. It 
grows on poor soil in Kentucky, Virginia, and some of the neigh- 
boring States. 

All European fruits, except those of the south, succeed avcH in 
the Northern States. Apples do Avell in the northernmost regions, 
and south to South Carolina and Mississippi ; peaches, from southern 
NcAv York and southern Illinois soutliAvard ; grapes, from Massachu- 
setts and Lake Erie to the Gulf. Plums groA\-, but are generally 
damaged by insects. 

POPULATION. 

Soon after the independence of the United States Avas established, 



32 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

the census of 1790 showed a population of 3,929,827. Since then 
an enumeration has been made every ten years, with the following 
result : — 

1800. 1810. 1820. 1830. 

5,305,937 7,239,814 9,638,191 12,866,020 

1840. 1850. 1860. . 1870. 

17,069,453 23,191,876 31,445,080 38,530,500. 

The growth of a single State will illustrate the growth of the whole. 
In 1787, the country northwest of the Ohio River was ceded to the 
United States by the States which had previously claimed it ; in 1788, 
the first permanent settlement was made at Marietta; in 1799, the 
Northwestern Territory, including all this district, was organized ; 
and in 1803, Ohio was admitted into the Union. In 1800, the popu- 
lation of Ohio was 45,365 ; in 1810, 230,760 ; in 1820, 581,434 ; in 
1830, 937,903; in 1840, 1,519,467; in 1850, 1,980,929; in 1860, 
2,346,000 ; in 1870, 2,662,333. 

This is, to a considerable degree, the natural increase of a people 
occupying a new country, and extending their settlements without 
the obstacle of prior claims. But it is also due, and in large measure, 
to the immigration, chiefly from Europe, which began with the colo- 
nial, and has continued through the national period. In the half- 
century ending with 1870, it is computed that 7,400,000 immigrants 
arrived in the United States. Add to this great number the yet 
greater number of their children and grandchildren, and the result 
surpasses all historical parallels. As to the cause of this vast move- 
ment, Mr. Friedrich Kapp, late member of the Board of Commis- 
sioners of Immigration in New York, makes the following remarks 
in a paper prepared for the American Social Science Association : — 

" Why is this, and how can we explain this apparent anomaly ? 
However equal such inducements to immigrants as fertility of soil, 
salubrity of climate, security of property, and facility of communica- 
tion may be in different countries, the immigrant prefers the country 
where labor is best remunerated, where land is cheap, where govern- 
ment does not interfere with him, where no class privileges exist, and 
where, from the day of his landing, he stands on a footing of absolute 
equality with the natives. Thus we" find that, in this respect also, 
moral as well as physical causes control immigration. The first are as 
powerful, if not more powerful, than the latter. In the United States, 
both are at work in attracting immigrants, and hence there is a 
larger European immigration to this country than to any other on 
the face of the globe. 

" The secret of the unparalleled growth, and of the daily increasing 
power of the United States, is that the government, in its practical 
working, is confined to the narrowest limits, that it is the agent, not 
the master of the people, and that the latter initiate all changes in 
its political and social life. And similarly, it is the condition of the 
success of a colony or a settlement that the immigrant relies on his 
own strength, acts on his own responsibility, and seeks by his own 
efibrts the prosperity which he is sure to find, if undisturbed. All 
mistakes which he may make, all errors of judgment which he may 



TO THE UNITED STATES, 33 

commit, are of no consequence, if his self-relying spirit is not inter- 
fered with. In spite of obstacles and disappointments, he will make 
his way, and ultimately attain his object." 

HISTORY. 

Columbus discovered America in 1492. Five years after, John 
Cabot, a Venetian in the service of England, reached the coast of 
North America. The next year, 1498, Sebastian Cabot,. in the same 
service, is supposed to have visited the coast of the present United 
States. 

From that time, for nearly three quarters of a century, no perma- 
nent settlement within the limits of the United States was made. 
In 1565, a Spanish colony founded St. Augustine in Florida. In 
1607, an English colony Avas planted at Jamestown in Virginia. In 
161.3, some Frenchmen established themselves for a time in Maine; 
and in the same year, the Dutch began their colony on Manhattan 
Island in Nev/ York. In 1638, a Swedish settlement was effected 
in DelaAvare'. 

From 1638 forward, the settlements of separate nations were grad- 
ually combined under one nation, the English, and organized as the 
Thirteen Colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 
Connecticut, Ncav York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania-, Delaware, Mary- 
land, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Dur- 
ing the century and a quarter in Avhich the Thirteen Colonies ab- 
sorbed the possessions of other Europeans, and of the Indian tribes, 
wars were of frequent occurrence, and sometimes of terrible severity. 
"VVlien one of these was brought to a close, in 1763, the Colonies 
stood face to fice with the mother country, England ; and after 
twelve years of almost constant dispute, chiefly about the rin-ht of 
tlie latter to tax the former, the American Revolution began. 

The first blood was shed in 17 75. A Declaration of Independence 
was made by a Congi*ess, and thus the United States became a na- 
tion, July 4th, 1776. Led by George Washington, and sustained 
by their own self-control and self-sacrifice, the Americans fought 
out the war, and obtained the recognition of their indejicndence 
from Great Britain in 1783. 

The importance of this event was greatly increased by the imme- 
diate and successful efforts of the new nation to establish a govern- 
ment on a broad and lasting foundation. Trained by long years 
of industry and trial, and nurtured in the political principles which 
marked Great Britain as the leading constitutional state of Europe 
in the eighteenth century, the American people had acquired a de- 
votion to hiAv quite as strong as their devotion to liberty. Their 
town or municipal institutions were left unaltered by the Revolu- 
tion, and the colonial governments were easily altered into govern- 
ments for the States. But the formation of a government for the 
nation was a more difficult matter ; and the first experiment, made 
during the war in tlie Articles of Confederation and Perpetual 
Union, proved a failure. Four years of peace followed, and then, 
in 1787, a convention asseml^lecl in the same hall in Philadelphia 
where the Declaration of Independence had been adopted, and 
3 



34 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

after nearly four montlis' session, agreed to a form of Constitution. 
This on being presented to Congress, the existing national authority, 
and by that body transmitted to the several States for accej3tance, 
was accepted in the course of the following year, and the spring of 
1789 saw the new government, with Washington as President, fully 
inaugurated. The Constitution will be explained on the next page. 

Nearly a century has now elapsed since the iridependence of the 
United States was thus established. The national territory, at first 
confined to a comparatively narrow belt on the Atlantic coast, with 
unoccupied and undefined tracts in the interior, has since received 
immense additions. Louisiana (not the present State, but a vast 
region in the Southwest) was purchased from France in 1803. Flor- 
ida was purchased from Spain in 1819. Texas, formerly a part of 
Mexico, was annexed in 1845. Oregon was secured by treaty with 
Great Britain in 1848. New Mexico and California Avere conquered 
from Mexico in 1848, and Southern Arizona purchased from the 
same State in 1854, Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867. 

Of the foreign affairs of the United States since 1789, the most 
important were the system of neutrality established under Washing- 
ton's administration ; a brief naval war with France, under John 
Adams, in 1798-99; a much more serious war Avith Great Britain, 
under James Madison's administration, in 1812, closed by the Treaty 
of Ghent in 1814; the declaration of the Monroe doctrine, so called 
from the President, Avhose annual message of 1823 declared against 
any attempt on the part of the European poAvers to extend their 
system to the Western hemisphere ; a Avar Avith Mexico, on account 
of Texas, under President Polk, from 1846 to 1848; and lastly, the 
difficulties not yet settled Avith Great Britain, respecting the course 
of that nation during the recent Avar for the Union. 

The domestic history of the United States is crowded Avith mo- 
mentous events, sometimes perilling the very existence of the na- 
tion. Great financial crises, especially in 1837 and 1857 ; political 
disturbances, amounting to positive insurrection in Pennsylvania 
against the national government (1794), and in Rhode Island against 
the State government (1842) ; harassing and often alarming con- 
flicts Avith the Indian tribes of the West and South, — these and 
other troubles interrupted the general prosperity. 

A far more bitter source of evil existed from the very beginning 
in slavery. It left its marks upon the Constitution. It generated 
jealousies and controversies Avithin the government and among the 
people. The strife became tAvofold : first, as to slavery itself, and 
second, as to nationality, or the national sovereignty. For the sup- 
porters of slavery Avere constantly driven to magnify the sovereignty 
(jf the States, as authorizing slavery, A\diile the opponents of slavery 
upheld Avith all the greater earnestness the sovereignty of the na- 
tion. Thus the conflict deepened and Avidened until it swept over 
all other questions, and made American politics a life and death 
struggle between freedom and slavery. It turned in 1820 upon the 
admission of Missouri, Avhere slavery was alloAved, though prohib- 
ited in the territory beyond, by Avliiat Avas called the Missouri Com- 
promise. In 1832, South Carolina developed a neAv phase of the 
controversy by making the tariff, or custom duties, the objects of 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 35 

opposition, and declaring them null and void ; this was called nulli- 
fication. In 1850, another compromise in Congress effected a tem- 
porary settlement of subjects then in dispute. In 1854, the Missouri 
Compromise was repealed, and the territory formerly saved from 
slavery was given over to it, if the inhabitants so pleased. Then 
arose a fierce combat, in which blood was shed, resulting, after four 
or five years, in the admission of Kansas, a part of the territory in 
dispute, as a free State. 

The passions of more than half a century found vent at last, in the 
war which the Southern States began in the spring of 1861, with the 
purpose of separating themselves from the- nation. The nation sprang 
to arms, and poured out its best blood for four years in defence of the 
Union. During this conflict, slavery was abolished, first in the Dis- 
trict of Columbia and the Territories, by act of Congress, and second 
in the rebellious States, by proclamation of the President, Abraham 
Lincoln. It was finally abolished throughout the entire country by a 
constitutional amendment, December 18, 1865. Thus the nation tri- 
umphed, and its great curse fell, in one and the same year. 

The last five years have been occupied, so far as public history is 
concerned, with the reconstruction of the States lately in rebellion, and 
the gradual evolution of measures for regulating the finances, extend- 
ing the industries, and developing all the material interests of the 
country. Nor are the immaterial neglected. Education, literature, 
science and the arts, the pursuit of reforms and charities, are keeping 
pace with the other growths of the nation. 

govp:rxmext. 

The government of the United States is, 1. National; 2. State; 
3. Municipal ; and 4. Territorial. 

1. National. 

The general government, of which Washington is the seat, has a 
twofold character. First, it is federal, or in the nature of a league, 
because it recognizes the different States as parties to it; and second, 
it is national, or in the nature of a single sovereignty, because it de- 
clares itself to have been established by the people, and also because 
it acts directly upon the people. This composite character is not 
easily understood except through experience. But it must always 
stand at the head of any explanation of the United States Constitu- 
tion. 

The Constitution divides the national authority into three 
branches : executive, legislative, and Judicial. The executive power 
is placed in the hands of a President elected for four years, and 
capable of being reelected. The legislative is divided between two 
houses ; the upper, called the Senate, representing the States, with 
two members for each State, elected for six years ; the loAver, called 
the House of Representatives, rejn'csenting the people, with one mem- 
ber for so many thousand inhabitants, elected for two years. The 
judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, District Courts, and 
a Court of Claims, the judges being appointed by the President, and 



36 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

confirmed by the Senate, to hold office during good behavior. A 
Vice-President, chosen for four years, presides over the Senate, and 
takes the place of the President in case of death or removal. To the 
President is attached a Cabinet, or nunistry, consisting of Secretaries 
of State, Treasury, Interior, War, Navy, an Attorney-General, and a 
Postmaster-General, who are appointed by himself, and confirmed 
by the Senate. 

To the different branches thus organized belong all the powers 
usually vested in a national government, but under certain restrictions 
unusual to other governments. These restrictions are of two classes, 
arising first, from the republican character of the government, and 
second, from its relations with the States. Of the first class are such 
provisions of the Constitution as are intended to secure the privilege 
of habeas corpus, the freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the 
right of the people to assemble, to petition, and to keep and bear 
arms, and many others. Of the second class are the provisions which 
oblige the United States to guarantee to every State a republican 
form of government, and reserve to the States respectively the 
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution. 

2. State. 

The State governments are organized, like the general government, 
in three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial. The first is in 
the hands of a Governor and other officers, chosen for terms of from 
one to four years ; the second, in a legishxture of two houses, whose 
members are chosen for terms of from one to four years for the Senate, 
and one to two years for the House of Representatives ; the third, in 
a judiciary, consisting of superior and inferior courts, whose judges 
are mostly elected by the people, to serve for terms of from four to 
fifteen years. In fifteen States the judges of the higher courts are 
appointed by tlie executive or the legislature, and hold their office 
either for a stated term or during good behavior. 

The first question with regaixl to the State governments relates to 
their function. To what do they correspond in the -European states ? 
The answer is, to nothing Avitli any degree of exactness, but if to any- 
thing, to the cantonal institutions of Switzerland. The States are 
republics, complete in organization* but incomplete in sovereignty. 
Their authority is not only purely domestic, but limited, even in 
that capacity, Ly the authority of the United States. They frame 
and execute laws, judge in civil and criminal cases, establish corpo- 
rations, levy taxes, and control the militia, except when it has been 
called into the service of the general government. Thus many of 
the daily concerns of a citizen are more immediately dependent upon 
the States than upon the United States ; and if the authority of the 
latter should ever be interrupted, that of the former would provide 
for at least his temporary protection or control. But the States have 
no national functions. They are expressly forbidden by the Consti- 
tution to enter into treaties, coin money, levy custom duties (without 
consent of Congress), keep troops or ships of war, or engage in war, 
unless in innninent danger, or deprive their own citizens, or those of 
other States, of their political rights. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 37 

3. Municipal. 

A large portion of local authority is ve?Led, as in Europe, in the 
cities or towns of the United States. But the precious privilege of 
self-government is infinitely more developed in the American repub- 
lic than in any other nation. It was the stronghold of the Colonies 
in their early history and in the crisis of their Jievolution, and it has 
been the stay and stalf of the nation in developing its political life 
through the last eighty years. Wherever, on the other hand, it has 
become corrupted, sutiering and shame have invariably ensued. Its 
organization in the larger towns follows the common forms. Each 
city has its executive in the office of Mayor ; its legislature in a 
Council composed of two boards, one generally called Aldermen, the 
other, Common Councilmen ; and its judiciary in various courts, 
usually styled Municipal or Police. Each town, not a city, commonly 
governs itself with the aid of a board, usually called Serectmen, who 
constitute an executive, while the legislative power resides in the 
townspeople, and the judicial is generally exercised by the courts of 
the State. 

4. Territorial. 

Temporary governments are established in the Territories. A 
Governor, Secretary, and several Judges are appointed by the Presi- 
dent of the United States ; while other officers, executive and judicial, 
and a legislature of two houses, are chosen by the people. The leo-is- 
lative acts are subject to revision by Congress, in Avliich each Terri- 
tory is represented by a delegate, with the right to speak, but not to 
vote. AA'hen a Territory acquires about the number of inhabitants 
which entitles it to a member in the national House of Representa- 
tives, an enabling act, authorizing the formation of a constitution, is 
passed by Congress ; and when this instrument has been approved 
by the same body, another act admits the new State to the Union. 



ARMY AXD NAVY. 

These are organized on a small scale compared with that of Euro- 
pean states. The army numbers about 30,000 men, the navy about 
8,000. Each force constitutes a nucleus for larger forces in time of 
war, when volunteers are called for to fill up regiments or crews to 
the required standard. 

NATUIIALIZATIOX. 

This means becoming a citizen of the United States. The manner 
of effecting it is laid down in several acts of Congress, to Avhich body 
the power of establishing a uniform rule of naturalization was given 
by the Constitution. An immigrant arriving under eighteen years of 
age, may be naturalized when he is twenty-one by making applica- 
tion at the proper court. If eighteen, or over, on landing, he must 
wait five years-, and two years or more before being naturalized, he 
must declare before a court his intention of becoming a citizen. The 
naturalizatiou of a parent carries with it that of a child; and shovild 
a parent declare his intention of being naturalized, but die before 



38 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

carrying it into effect, his widow and children may be naturaUzed in 
his stead. A woman entitled to naturalization, and married to a 
citizen, is considered a citizen likewise. Any person naturalized has 
all the rio-hts of a native citizen, except that he cannot be elected 
President or Vice-President. Recent conventions with several 
European poAvers, Great Britain amono- them, have established the 
principle that a naturalized citizen of the United -States is free from 
all allegiance to his former government. 

Such is naturalization under the authority of the United States, 
but under that of many among the States the process is changed. 
In fact. State legislation -in numerous instances has put an end to 
naturalization under national legislation. The privileges of citizen- 
ship relating to property and suffrage are now generally acquired 
under the State governments. The following section of this part 
sketches the laws of property ; Parts III. and IV. give the constitu- 
tional i)rovisions of the several States with regard to suffrage. It 
may be stated here that persons under guardianship, paupers, and 
criminals are prohibited from voting throughout the country. 

Naturalization according to United States statutes is still requisite 
to establish a title to any purchase of public lands, as will be re- 
peated hereafter. 

LAWS OF PKOPERTY AFFECTING IMMIGRANTS. 

Formerly by common law an alien could not take lands by descent, 
or transmit them to others as his heirs. But the disability of alien- 
age is removed in whole or in part in most of the United States. 

The general rule as regards personal property is that aliens may 
obtain, hold, and transmit it in the same manner as citizens. 

The right to real estate by descent is governed by the several 
laAvs of the different States. The following States have virtually no 
disability for aliens to take, hold, or devise real estate : Maine, New 
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Maryland, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Wis- 
consin, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, California, and 
Oregon. The following have no disability, if a declaration of inten- 
tion to become citizens be made : Rhode Island, Delaware, Vir- 
ginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, "Tennessee, and Arkansas. 

The following differ from the tAvo cases just laid down. 

New York has no disability to take and hold real estate, if inten- 
tion of becoming a citizen is declared, and an alien may during six 
years thereafter dispose of it in any way ; but he may not leave or 
devise such real estate until he be naturalized. North Carolina has 
no disability, if an alien take oath of allegiance ; but he shall not ob- 
tain by descent, and the estate in such case shall go to those who 
would inherit if there were no alien relatives. Alabama has much 
the same regulations ; if the heir is an alien, the next heir who is a 
citizen inherits. Kentucky has no disability for an alien, who has 
resided two years in the State, to take, hold, or transmit, whether he 
take by descent or in any Avay whatever. Vermont and Louisiana 
have no provisions upon the subject. 

Those States which have no disability to take, hold, and transmit 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 6\) 

real property would seem to have no disability to take by descent ; 
and those v.hieh have no disability i;pon the fulfilment of a condi- 
tion, as a declaration of intention to become citizens, haA^e no disa- 
bility to take by descent upon a similar notice. Of those which 
differ from those two conditions, New York, Xorth Carolina, and 
Alabama allow no aliens to take by descent. Kentucky allows 
acquisition by descent after two years' residence. 

Those States Avhich have no provision upon the subject allow no 
acquisition by descent, because they follow the common law. 

EXEMPTION OF PROPERTY FROM SEIZURE FOR DEBT. 

By United States Law, " There shall be exempt from execution 
necessary household and kitchen furniture, and such other necessaries 
as the assignee shall designate, not exceeding five hundred dollars. 
Also the Avearing appanel of bankrupt, and that of his wife and chil- 
dren, the uniform and arms of any person who is or has been a sol- 
dier in the militia or service of* the United States, and also such 
property, not included in the foregoing exceptions, as is exempted 
by the laAvs of the State in which bankrupt has his domicile at the 
time of commencement of the proceedings in bankruptcy." 

The articles most generally exempted by the State statutes (though 
the same articles are not common to all the States) seem to be wear- 
ing apparel ; beds (for every tAvo persons, and in some cases one or 
two beds in family of Avhatever size) ; household furniture, not usually 
exceeding $250 in value, though in one State, Kansas, reaching as 
high as $500 ; tools, books, and other implements necessary for a 
man's trade or profession ; live stock, one to five cows ; in some 
States from six to ten sheep, one yoke of oxen, and what is necessary 
for a limited agricultural business' in the Avay of carts and other im- 
plements ; a limited amount of fodder for cattle ; food for family 
sufficient to keep them from immediate suffering. These are by no 
means all the articles exempted in the several States, but they 
suffice to show the classes of articles Avith regard to Avhich the stat- 
utes of some States are more liberal than those of others. 
. In more than half of the States the homestead of the debtor, of a 
certain quantity or value, is exempt from execution. The value 
assigned differs^ much in the several States, though from $500 to 
$1,500 Avould perhaps cover the most common values as fixed by 
statute. In Texas, two hundred acres of land, or, if in a city, land 
to the value of $2,000. 

The person of the debtor is not liable to imprisonment in any 
part of the United States. 

LAWS OF INHERITANCE. 

AMien a person dies seised, or OAvner, of real estate without devis- 
ing the same, it descends hi the folloAying manner: in equal shares 
to his children, and to the issue of any deceased child in shares equal 
to Avhat the parent, if living, Avould have been entitled to. In case 
of failure of lineal descendants, the estate goes to the next of kin. 

These rules are common to all the States, but they are subject to 



40 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

the right of dower for the wife, which consists of a right for life to 
one third part of all the real estate of the husband, in all the States 
except West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Indiana, Nevada, and Cali-' 
fornia, in which there is no right of dower. In the foUoAving States 
dower exists only in what the husband dies seised or owner of : New 
Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. 
In the States first mentioned, if the husband dies intestate, the wife 
receives either one third (as in Texas), or, what is most common, a 
child's share of the estate. In Nevada and California the wife takes 
one half of the common property. In Pennsylvania the wife takes 
one third of the estate remaining after payment of debts, and half 
if the husband die without issue ; if there be no heir, she takes the 
whole absolutely. In case of a will and no provision for the wife, 
she can have no interest in the real estate in these States. 

These rules are also subject in almost all of the States to the right 
of curtesy for the husband, in case of the death of a married woman 
intestate. This consists of a right to all the real estate of which the 
wife died owner, during the husband's life, provided they have issue. 
In Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, California, and Daco- 
tah, this right is abolished. In South Carolina the husband takes 
only a part, generally a child's shar£ if there be issue, and half, if 
there be none ; but what he takes, he takes to himself and heirs. 
In Georgia the husband takes absolute estate in all the wife's real 
and personal property. In Ohio and Oregon the right is given, even 
if there be no issue. The rules in Louisiana amount to^ much the 
same. In Nevada and California the husband takes the whole of 
common property of both on death of wife. In Kansas the husband 
takes one half, if there be issue, and all, in fee, if there be none. In 
Iowa it is provided that the husband shall have the same right in 
the estate of his wife that she would have in his by dower. 

In the United States generally, the following facts as regards 
inheritance are to be noticed, namely : 1. The preference is given 
to males. 2. The right of primogeniture does not exist, but all chil- 
dren inherit equally. 3. Posthumous children inherit, in all cases, 
as if they had been born in lifetime of intestate. 

Personal property, in case of intestacy, goes, in almost all the 
States, to those who are heirs to the real estate, subject, however, 
to restriction in favor of widows and widowers. When a man dies 
intestate and leaves no issue, the wife usually has one half of the per- 
sonal property, and the residue goes to next of kin ; if there be 
issue, the wife has in some States one third, which is the most 
common portion, or in others a child's share. 

RIGHTS OF PROPERTY BELONGING TO MARRIED WOMEN. 

In almost all of the United States the separate property of the wife 
is recognized. Delaware, Virginia, and Georgia seem to be principal 
exceptions to this rule. But in all the other • States the separate 
property of a married woman is exempt from her husband's debts, 
and this is true of both real and personal property. 

In Texas, Nevada, and California, all the property a woman has 
before marriage remains her separate property, while all she n^.ay 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 41 

acquire after is held in common with her husband. The husband 
manages both common and separate property, and conveyance of 
separate property is made by joint deed. The rules in Louisiana 
amount to much the same. 

A married woman may not convey her separate real estate except 
in a joint deed with her husband, as a general rule ; but in Maine, 
New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Iowa, IMinnesota, and 
Kansas, she may convey alone. 

In general, with regard to conveyance by joint deed, the wife is 
examined in private by an otHcer of the State, in which examination 
she shows that the conveyance is made with her free will, and that 
there is no compulsion. 

In most of the States a married woman may devise by will her real 
and personal property, but this power is limited in a few of the 
States by statute, providing that no will shall be made by a married 
woman to the injury of the husband's right of curtesy in her real 
estate, and his right to a certain share in her personal property. In 
New Jersey a married woman can make no will of her real estate, but 
may of her personal. This is the case also in Virginia. In North 
Carolina, no married Avoman can make will unless allowed by deed of 
husband. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan, 
Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska are among those States which 
require consent of husband to give validity to a married woman's 
will. 

EDUCATION. 

The Bureau of Education connected with the Department of the 
Interior of the national government is not charged with the founda- 
tion or management of educational institutions. Its proper function 
is to collect and distribute information on all matters relating to edu- 
cation. 

The only schools under the control of the United States govern- 
ment are those in the District of Columbia, the Military Academy at 
West Point, and the Naval Academy at Annapolis. 

The general government has borne an indirect part in establish- 
ing and extending schools throughout the country, by making large 
grants of public land to be used by the State governments for pur- 
poses of education. 

To each of the States organized since 1 785, the sixteenth section of 
each township, and to each of the States organized since 1859 (ex- 
cept West Virginia, Avhich contained no public land), the thu'ty-sixth 
section also of each township, have been reserved by the general 
government for the support of common schools. 

The State and municii)al governments are the patrons, so to speak, 
of the common school system. Most of the States have a board of 
education, with a secretary or general superintendent ; and a large 
number have county superintendents, one for each county. Most 
of the cities have a board, or committee and a superintendent, 
while the smaller towns generally have committees or trustees, but 
no superintendents. The schools themselves are usually graded, or 
classified, beginning with primary schools for the youngest pupils and 
advancing as grammar, high, and in many States agricultural and 



42 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

industrial. Free colleges of a literary or scientific character are es- 
tablished in a few places. Normal schools, for the training of teach- 
ers, are found almost everywhere. 

A movement of great interest, in an industrial as well as educa- 
tional point of view, has been begun in several quarters, by the es- 
tablishment of drawing-schools especially designed for the working 
classes. The Massachusetts legislature of 1870 authorized every 
city and town of more than 10,000 inhabitants to make provision for 
free instruction in industrial or mechanical drawing to persons over 
fifteen years of age, either in day or evening schools. An evening 
school of this character in Boston numbers 500 pupils, with applica- 
tions for admission from half as many more. Evening schools for 
instruction in the same branches as are taught in the day schools 
have been opened in many cities to persons too busy or too old to 
attend the latter. 

To all in attendance, children or adults, day or evening pupils, the 
schools established by State or municipal authority are almost uni- 
versally free. In some districts, however, pupils are expected, if able, 
to pay a small rate for instruction. 

The support of the schools comes almost wholly from the treasury 
of the State or town ; chiefly from taxation, but partly from funds set 
apart for the purpose. An Education Fund for the benefit of schools 
in the Southern States was recently established by the late George 
Peabody. 

Private schools of every grade abound throughout the more pros- 
perous States. The higher institutions, whether literary, scientific, or 
professional, are generally of private foundation. Even if aided by 
the local government, they are free from all but nominal control on the 
part of the government, and occupy a much more independent posi- 
tion than that of most similar institutions in Europe. In all or 
nearly all of them, provision is made for students unable to pay the 
expenses of instruction. 

As might be expected, the utmost variety in quantity and quality 
exists among the educational institutions of the different States. The 
stranger Avho seeks a good school for his children cannot be too 
careful in his inquiries before establishing himself in his new home. 
If he is from some parts of Europe, Sweden or Prussia, for instance, 
he will find a much less general attendance at the American schools ; 
for there is no compulsory system, except in laws as yet unexecuted. 
Factory acts, as they are called, have been passed in the six New 
P^ngland States, in order to prevent the employment of young chil- 
dren in manufactories, unless they have previously attended school. 
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania require a child so employed to 
attend school for a part of the year. 

The Amei'ican school-houses, at least in the cities, are much 
superior to those of Europe ; but the work done in them, especially in 
freshly settled districts, is far otherwise, and the new-comer, if from 
such a country as Prussia, must be prepared for disappointment, 
should he desire his children to be well educated. Yet there is no 
reason why he should not succeed, with the aid of others like him- 
self, in improving the schools of liis neighborhood. They are his, 
from the moment of his settlement, as much as anybody's, and he 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



43 



need fear no censure or hindrance from any government in an honest 
effort to increase their efficiency. The general tendency is in the 
right direction, and every year witnesses the removal of some defect 
or the introduction of some improvement in the schools. 

The foUoAving table of School Statistics, compiled from the most 
recent infoi-mation, is taken from the last Report of the Commissioner 
of Education. 



Alabama 

Arkansas 

California 

Connecticut 

Delaware 

Florida 

Georgia 

niinois 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana 

Maine 

Maryland 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Mississippi 

Missouri 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

N. Hampshire 

New Jersey 

New York 

No. Carolina 

Ohio 

Orejjon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode" Island 

So. Carolina 

Tennessee 

Texas 

Vermont 

Virpinia 

W. Virginia 

Wisconsin 



School Popula- 
tion. 



1800 
18ti9 
ISG!) 
1870 
1870 
1S70 

18(!8 
1870 
1870 

i8(;'j 

1870 
1870 
1870 
l8t)!) 
1809 
I8(i9 
1870 

1870 
1S70 
1870 

18(WI 
1870 
1870 
1.S70 
1809 

•1870 
1S(!9 
1870 
1809 
1870 
1 1809 

180!) 
1809 



5-21 
.>-2l 
5-15 
4-10 
5-21 
4-21 

G-21 
(5-21 
5-21 
.5-21 
0-20 
0-21 
4-21 
5-20 
5-15 
5-20 
5-21 
5-21 
5-21 
5-21 
0-18 
4-21 
5-18 
5-21 
(y-2l 
5-21 
4-20 
G-21 
(t) 
5-18 
0-20 
0-18 
4-18 
5-21 
6-21 
4-20 



*f«0,000 
180,000 
112,753 
125,407 

41,900 

83.3,130 
619,590 
418,168 
92,517 
370,808 
254,533 
228,167 
182,205 ] 
271,052 ! 
374,774 
144,414 

584T02O 

32,619 

.3,778 

75,505 

2.58,227 

l,46.i,299 

.342,1<;8 

1,028,877 

975,7.=i3 
56,934 
168,819 
410,000 

76,759 



■160,000 
100,000 
73,754 
105,313 

7,575 

706,780 
462,527 
200,138 

58,681 
160,446 

50,000 
12«).946 

99,315 
247,080 
269,587 
102,080 

249,729 

i:!,893 
2,028 

.".2,19(t 
101,6.S3 
998,004 

■19.:!(>2 
740,;-i82 



29,477 

15,918 

'185.845 



59,028 
264,0:33 



60,000 
49,802 
04,707 



269,766 
281,912 
178,329 

.31,124 
112,030 

40,000 
100,815 

203,408 
242,029 
45,497 



1 ,.S82 
4.-., 755 
78,612 

408,421 
3 1,81 -J 

434,805 

555,941 
23,857 



55,744 
30,6S4 



o2 



3,804 
2,.5O0 
1,.3.M 
1,647 

"250 

10,500 
8,S01 
0,78S 
1,707 
4,209 
483 
4,004 

4,903 
5,052 
2,521 

7,000 
782 
45 
2,528 
1,4,>S 
11.750 
1,398 
11,714 

14,211 

(!.50 

;«i 



2,308 
4,735 



al2 



5 months 

8 mos. 3 days 
3 months 

7 mos. 3 days 

3 mos. 7 days 

6 mos. 6 days 
5 montlis 

5 months 

4 mos. 11 days 

4 mos. 20 dayi 
10 months 

5 mos. 6 days 

6 mos. 3 days 



4 mos. 6 days 
3 months 
8 mos. 2 days 
3 mos. 15 dayi 
8 mos. 14 days 
8 mos. 4 days 
3 months 

7 mos. 15 days 

6 mos. 1 day 

8 months 



No. of Teaehcn 
Public School 



151 days 



1 








1,.300 


700 


7:>0 


VKJl 


679 


2,134 


— 


— 


8.240 


10,797 


7,104 


4,722 


4,479 


V,515 


896 


263 


150 


475 


1,981 


4,020 


1,0.58 


7,048 


2,354 


7,895 


1,155 


2,620 


4,615 


2,.531 


•^il 


260 


19 


30 


624 


3,1.57 


915 


1,905 


6.230 


22,080 


l,o;i0 


385 


9,171 


12,455 


7,4.38 


10,174 


173 


500 


2.55 


273 



2.000 
1,087 
2,813 



7,146 
521 
55 
3,781 
2,820 
28,310 
1,415 
21.626 

17^12 
673 

528 



2,283 
8,795 



The following table of School Expenditure per capita of the School 
Population is also taken from the Keport of the Commissioner of 
Education. As Nevada has very few children of school age, Massa- 
chusetts is virtually at the head of the list. 



Nevada 


S10.17 


Iowa 


Massachusetts 


. 16.45 


New York 


California . 


11.4t 


A'ermont 


Connecticut . 


. 10.29 


Kansas 


Pennsvlvania 


7.86 


Ohio . 


Illinois . 


7.83 


Michigan 



$7.21 
6.83 
6.47 
6.45 
6.43 
6.40 



* Estimated. 

t No person excluded from school : 
enumeratioD under 15 years. 



truant age, 6 to 16; school mt 



illstributed on basis of the 



44 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



New Jersey 


$6.38 


Delaware 


$2.70 


Rhode Island . 


6.20 


Missouri . 


2.65 


Minnesota . 


5.71 


Nebraska 


2.65 


Wisconsin 


4.98 


Indiana . 


2.37 


Maine 


4.78 


Alabama 


1.49 


Maryland 


. 4.50 


Tennessee 


.91 


New Hampshire . 


4.46 


Florida . ... 


.91 


Arkansas 


3.97 


Kentucky . 


.60 


Louisiana . 


2.84 


North Carohna 


.48 



Agricultural and Scientific Schools are reported as 26 in number, 
with 144 teachers and 1,413 students. Industrial Schools, especially 
devoted to the mechanic arts, are very few, but increasing. In these 
institutions, the immigrant will probably be most interested, next 
after the common schools. From the latter he will obtain general 
training ; from the former, special. Technical, Agricultural, Manufac- 
turing, and Commercial education is given with more or less 
efficiency, and the tendency to improvement in its methods and 
results is very marked. 

RELIGION. 

The Constitution of the United States provides that " Congress 
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohib- 
iting the free exercise thereof," and that " no religious test shall ever 
be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the 
United States." 

The same principle is recognized in almost all the State constitu 
tions ; and wherever any exception appears, it is a dead letter. 

Church and state are thus entirely separate. Religious organiza- 
tions and creeds arc all purely voluntary. No man is obliged to 
belong to, or to abandon any society, or to accept or reject any doc- 
trine, in the name of religion. 

The proportion of Roman Catholics to Protestants is estimated as 
one to five or six. Of the Protestant denominations, the largest is 
the Methodist, and next to this the Baptist. The other leading 
bodies are the Congregationalists, the Lutherans, and the Presbyte- 
rians. But whatever the religious faith of an individual may be, he 
is almost sure of finding fellow-believers in .one part of the country or 
another. On this head it will always be easy to obtain local infor- 
mation. 

CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. 

Many of those who use this volume want to hear something about 
the character of the Americans. " It is well," they may say, " to be 
acquainted with the country, the history, and the institutions of the 
United States, but it is not enough. What sort of a people is to be 
found there ? Who are to be our neighbors if we dwell among them ? 
Will they help us, or hinder us, in finding a happy home ? " These 
are very important questions, and if they could be answered fully, no 
better service could be rendered to our readers. Nor will it be use- 
less to ansAver them in part. 

The American character, generally speaking, is such as might be 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 45 

expected from the statements in the previous pages. This vast and 
open territory, this growth and historic experience, these liberal 
forms of government, these beneficent laws, have exerted their natvi- 
ral influence, and the people possessing them are also, one may say, 
possessed by them, that isf, affected by them, both outwardly and in- 
wardly. The tact that the people has been composed of many races, 
with the utmost variety of habits and characteristics, has likewise 
borne its fruits. The Americans are neither Celts nor Teutons, nei- 
ther English nor L^ish, neither German nor Swedish, but a nation 
made up of all of these, and of many others besides them. 

First and foremost among the traits of the national character is 
independence. The American is born free, he lives free, and he dies 
free. His government regards him not as a subject, but as a citizen. 
His laws treat him as equal wdth everybody about him. His superiors, 
if he has any in one sense, whether rulers or employers, are not en- 
couraged by him or by public opinion to regard him as an inferior. 
The whole spirit of this society is in favor of personal independence. 
If sometimes pushed too far, if sometimes changed into coarseness or 
lawlessness, it has worked good in far greater proportion than evil. 
But the ncAv-comer ought to be on his guard against claiming any 
excess of it, indeed, against claiming it all, until he understands it. 
He will find it conceded to him without any claim. Few if any 
native Americans are now disposed to assert superiority over a for- 
eigner as such, and none making the assertion are sustained in it by 
the temper of the people at large. 

Next in prominence is the mobility of the Americans. All phys- 
ical influences, particularly those of territory and of origin, favor it, 
and render this nation quicker than any other to adapt themselves to 
new circumstances and new interests. Their frequent changes of 
residence and occupation are proverbial. Sons seldom live in their 
fathers' houses, and very few men die in the house Avhere they were 
born. A large number of every industrial class, instead of confining 
themselves to it, pass into another, and engage in new callings, for 
which they think they can fit themselves Avithout any special difficulty. 
This disposition makes life comparatively easy for the immigrant. 
He is not more on the wing than many of them ; and instead of being 
regarded with doubt because he is changing his abode, he rather gets 
credit for his enterprise. He finds them all the more ready to be 
approached, all the more hospitable and frank in their relations with 
him, freer from anything like exclusiveness or caste. 

The character of' the Americans in an industrial point of view^ is 
especially interesting to an immigrant. He will be satisfied with 
them, as a general rule, whether they are his employers or his fellow- 
laborers. Labor is respected, skilled labor very highly respected, 
among them. They are disposed to avoid merely manual labor, not 
as labor, but as manual, the lowest grade of work. They like higher 
grades, and it is good for those who come among them as well as for 
themselves that "they do, because it promotes a generally upward 
tendency among the industrial classes. An American strives a little 
too earnestly, however, not to be subordinate as a business or labor- 
ing man, and his ambition for rapid success is often fatal. As ^ an 
employer of labor, he is usually faithful and punctual in his duties, 



46 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

and they who work for him seldom complain. As a fellow-laborer, 
he is not always considerate or kind towards a stranger from whom, 
as a competitor, he thinks he suffers, and wdio must be made to suffer 
from him in return. But these cases are happily exceptional. 
There is perhaps stronger reason for warriing the immigrant against 
the rather increasing readiness of the American operative to join in 
those industrial organizations which serve only to widen the breach 
between him and the capitalist, and to heighten the difficulties of 
his toil. 

The Americans are uncommonly intelligent. Their minds are not 
given to abstract thought, nor are they to be called a. philosophical 
or imaginative race. But in practical matters, in dealing with men 
and things as they are, surmounting obstacles, and working out 
results, they show a wonderful smartness, another word for ingenuity. 
It wins the better name of inventiveness when applied to the numer- 
ous fabrics and machines of American origin. Perhaps the chief 
intellectual distinction of the people is that of inventors. The best 
ideas in the machinery at the Paris Exposition of 1867 were said to 
be American. 

The moral qualities of the Americans are not striking, but gener- 
ally sound. They are a good-natured people, and treat one another, 
and the stranger likewise, kindly. Fairness and honesty prevail 
among them. Discipline is rather weak, but more in private than in 
public. They respect their institutions, and deserve to be called a 
law-abiding people. Their homes are usually well ordered, and the 
domestic virtues are above, not below, the average among European 
nations. The Americans Avere once distinguished for their strictness ; 
they are now often remarked upon for being too fond of amusement, 
and too ready to break through a wise restraint. But the change is 
only to that degree which is inseparable from great expansion. Im- 
morality is certainly not the rule, but the exception, and the great 
body of the people cherish the principles of their fathers. The im- 
migrant Avho wishes to do right will not be obstructed by those 
around him. 

This is an account of the national character merely as a whole. 
Different sections, different pursuits, bring about dilferent results ; and 
what is true of one neighborhood, is not always true of another. The 
inhabitants of some districts, particular!}^ those not yet really settled, 
or those not yet relieved from the effects of slavery, are marked by a 
decidedly lower tone, both morally and intellectually. The stranger 
must make especial inquiries, if he thinks of establishing himself in 
any such community, and cares whether its character be good or bad. 

INDUSTRY. 

The reader will find in Parts III. and IV. specific mention of the 
industries prevailing in the different parts of the United States. A 
few general statements will be made here. 

1. Agriculture. 

The crops of 1869 above $100,000,000 in value are reported as 
follows : — 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 47 

Indian corn . . . 874,320,000 bushels. $658,532,700 
Hay .... 26,420,000 tons. 337,662,600 

Cotton . . . 3,000,000 bales. 303,600,000 

Wheat .... 260,146,900 bushels. 244,924,120 
Oats . . . . • 288,334,000 " 137,347,900 

Whether dairy products belong to agriculture more than to manu- 
factures maybe a doubtful point, particularly since the establishment 
of the factory system in making cheese. But there can be no harm in 
stating under the present head that the value of butter produced in 
1869 is estimated to have been nearly $210,000,000. That of cheese 
was about $36,000,000. 

All these are enormous figures, and suggest ideas partly accurate, 
and partly inaccurate. They show with sufhcient correctness the 
proportions of the different crops, how corn ranks first, and hay 
second, throughout the country. But they give an incorrect impres- 
sion of the relative value of agricultural products. If this be deter- 
mined by the yield per acre, tobacco (total product, $32,000,000) 
stands at the head of the crops; potatoes ($71,650,000) second, 
cotton third, hay fifth, corn sixth, oats eighth, and Avheat tenth. 

The condition of agriculture in the United States is not what 
might be desired. AVith admirable soil, admirable machinery, in 
inventing and employing which the Americans have distinguished 
themselves, the yield per acre is generally on the decrease. The 
trouble is the want of proper method. The art of agriculture is 
imperfectly known and yet more imperfectly practiced. Agricul- 
tural colleges are numerous, agricultural societies abound, agricultural 
publications are active, yet the agricultural system is full of defi- 
ciencies. 

A department, under a commissioner, has been recently established 
at Washington, for the purpose of diffusing useful information on 
subjects connected with agriculture. A museum and garden are 
connected with the department, and plants or seeds, received from 
abroad or from different points at home, are transmitted to the dit- 
ferent agricultural centres. 

Of one thing the immigrant may be sure, as stated before, that he 
will find agricultural employment if he seeks it. It is more plentiful 
in some sections than in others, and in the new Western States above 
all, but it is to be found almost everywhere. Unskilled labor is in 
demand through the country ; skilled, in the new districts where the 
cereals are grown, or where the vegetables and fruits required by the 
cities are supplied. 

A later part of the Handbook describes the manner of obtaining 
a farm from the public domain. 

'' Almost all the farmers with whom I came in contact," says a 
practical Scotch farmer, in describing some of the Western States, 
" seem to have settled down with little or no means. Some bought land 
who had' no more money than would pay the first instalment on it, and 
had to work for others to make money to pay the other instalments as 
they came due. They were able in this way in the course of a few 
years to settle down and cultivate. AVhen farms are rented — which 
is often done — the system adopted is the following, namely : If the 
tenant is not able to provide stock, implements, and seed, the proprie- 



48 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

tor supplies him with all those, and in such a case allows him one third 
of the grain crops. Another system is common. If the tenant can 
provide himself Avith stock, implements, and seed, he gets one half of 
all the grain crops. In this way many a man works himself into a 
farm of his own. The regular rate for borrowed money is ten per 
cent., but even at this high rate it usually pays a farmer well,- and 
there is every facility given to a respectable and industrious man. 
There are often cultivated farms in the market for sale, but one 
wishing to buy such a farm would require to be always present wait- 
ing a chance. The farmers east often sell out and go further west, 
where they can get land cheaper and as good ; many of them make a 
trade of breaking up farms and selling them. This is an easy way of 
getting settled down on a farm if one has sufficient means to spare. 
But in buying a second-hand farm, one should be careful to see that 
it be not mortgaged. This can, with very little cost, be ascertained 
at the record office of the county in which the land is situated." 

2. Manufactures. 

The name of manufacturing is very commonly limited to employ- 
ment in factories, upon linen, silk, cotton, woollen, and worsted goods, 
and to the work done in iron mills. These employments require the 
lai'gest amount of machinery and the least amount of labor. 

There are a few hemp, jute, and linen factories in the Northern 
States for making piece goods, and many small bagging factories in 
the Middle States ; but line linen piece goods are not made at all. 
Operatives in these branches cannot depend upon finding employ- 
ment, unless sent for by factory owners. 

Silk piece goods are made in one or tAvo places only, but are not 
yet fairly established. Most of the sewing silk used in the country 
is made in Connecticut and New Jersey. 

There are over 7,000,000 cotton spindles in the United States, 
mostly in Ncav England and Pennsylvania. A few factories are to be 
found in New York, and a few in the Southern States. There is 
generally a full supply of carders and spinners, but good weavers can 
almost always find employment if willing to adapt themselves to the 
hours of work, Avhich are generally eleven hours a day, and to the 
monthly in place of Aveekly payment of Avages. Good weavers 
(female) can generally earn one dollar a day in currency, equal to 
three shillings and ninepence English money, working four looms on 
common printers. Very skilful weavers can earn from four to six 
shillings a day. Board in factory toAvns costs $2.50 to $2.75 per 
Aveek for Avomen, and for men $3 to $3.50. The food furnished is 
abundant and good ; meat or fish and tea and coffee are served every 
day. Cheese and beer much less used than in England. 

Woollen cloths, cassimeres, and other piece goods are made in 
quantity nearly sufficient for home consumption, as are caypets also. 
The Avoollen mills, Avhich contain in all about 6,000 sets of cards, are 
to be found chiefly in Ncav England, but are quite numerous in some 
of the Western States. The business has been much depressed since 
the Avar, but is noAv recovering. Skilful Aveavers would be very 
sure to find work, but operatives avIio depend entirely upon carding 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 49 

or spinnino; should not come unless they have work secured before 
leaving. Weavers earn from one to two dollars a day, according to 
their skill. Board the same as in cotton mills. 

Woollen worsted fabrics are but little made as yet ; such mills as 
have begun the manufacture are chiefly in New England. 

Pig-iron has been mostly produced in Pennsylvania, New York, 
and Ohio, but is now being made in large quantity in Michio-an, 
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. Immense deposits of 
excellent bituminous coal exist throughout the Western and Middle 
States, and the supply of iron ore is unlimited. The ore and coal 
are generally found near or upon the surface, are easily worked, and 
are in very many cases in the midst of the best farming country. 

Railroads are already constructed to the extent of nearly 50,000 
miles, and over 5,000 miles of new railroads are now being built. 
Rolling mills must therefore be generally well employed, as it would 
be impossible to get the full supply of rails, except they were made at 
home. Wages in iron-works are much higher than in Europe, after 
making all allowances for the greater cost of living in the United 
States ; sober, industrious men can hardly fail of good employment, 
if Avell skilled in their work. 

The manufacture of boots and shoes, and of ready-made clothing, 

fives employment to nearly as many, if not more persons in New 
Ingland than are employed in all the cotton and woollen mills of that 
section ; and in these employments good workmen and women are 
very sure of steady work and fair Avages ; poor or unskilful workmen 
and poor sewing women are always too numerous. 

The manufactures thus far named are the most prominent, and are 
usually considered the most important ; yet they really constitute but 
a small part of the true manufactures of the country. Other branches 
are much more diffused ; but not being conducted in large factories, 
they attract less attention. These other branches are on the whole 
much better paid, so far as the working people are concerned, and 
may be considered most valuable to the country, as they form a part 
of the industry of every community, however small. 

Industrious and sober men may be sure of good employment in the 
following branches of manufacturing, and women in some of them. 

Wood-workers, such as cabinet-makers, wheelwrights, car and 
carriage builders, and carpenters, are needed everywhere. 

Iron and steel workers, such as stove-makers, hollow-ware 
moulders, machinists, cutlers, engine-builders, and the like, are 
always in demand. So are workers in leather, curriers, tanners, 
bookbinders, harness-makers, etc., etc. 

The manufacture of agricultural tools and implements gives em- 
ployment to a very large and constantly increasing force of highly 
paid mechanics in the Eastern and Western States, and will presently 
be equally important at the South. 

It may here be said that since the abolition of slavery in the South- 
ern States, an urgent demand has been felt for mechanics and artisans 
of every kind, but it is not yet easy to give specific directions as to 
the best places wherein to settle. 

As a final illustration of the importance of some branches of 
manufacture seldom heard of as such, it may be said that it has been 
4 



60 UANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

well established as a fact that the cost of the butter actually con- 
sumed in the United States is nearly as great as the cost of the 
wheat ; and as the wheat crop is known to exceed $200,000,000 in 
value, it follows that butter is one of the most important manufactures, 
while cheese is one of the most important articles of export. 

Those immigrants may be certain of success who are skilful in the 
branches of manufacture not done in large factories, but which, as we 
have stated, form a portion of the industry even of those communities 
which seem to be almost entirely engaged in farming. They can 
follow their trades and at the same time own a farm, either under the 
Homestead Act or by purchase in the more thickly settled places. 

3. Commerce. 

The physical formation of the United States exhibits remarkable 
opportunities for both foreign and inland commerce. 

Tables of tonnage, that is, of vessels according to their measure- 
ment in tons, show the number of vessels on the lakes and rivers to 
bear a very important proportion to that of vessels on the seas. In 
fact, the increase of inland commerce is far more marked, in late 
years, than that of foreign, as will appear from some statements to 
be made in this section. 

The great ports of foreign commerce are New York on the Atlan- 
tic, New Orleans on the Mississippi, or virtually on the Gulf of 
Mexico, and San Francisco on the Pacific. Buffalo, Cleveland, Chi- 
cago, and Milwaukee are among the great lake ports ; Cincinnati 
and St. Louis, among the river ports. 

At all these, and at many other ports concerning which informa- 
tion is given in Part III., the immigrant who seeks commercial em- 
ployment, whether in ship-building or navigation, in loading and 
unloading vessels, storing or transporting merchandise, will find it 
without difficulty. 

The fisheries, if included under this head, constitute a large ele- 
ment of American enterprise. They were objects of attention from 
the beginning of European colonization ; and a cargo of fish, cured 
with salt made by the colonists, was among the first shipments from 
Massachusetts to England. Between 80,000 and 90,000 tons of 
shipping are now employed in the cod and mackerel fisheries, and 
over 70,000 tons in the whale fisheries. 

Ship-owning and ship-building are at present very much depressed. 

Vessels built in 

1869 

1870 .... 

Almost all these were built for the domestic trade along the sea- 
coasts, and on the lakes, rivers, and canals. Compared with the 
reports of previous years, the figures of the last two are small, and 
show a striking exception to the general growth of industry in the 
United States. 

The explanation, if desired, may be given as follows. Primarily, 
the cause of the decline is to be found in the late civil war, and the 



'^umher. 


I onnage. 


1,726 


275,230 


1,489 


290,189 



ro THE UNITED STATES. 51 

l<jgislation following thereupon. A large amount of tonnage was 
transferred to neutral flags, in a majority of cases, probably, by a 
bona fide sale, but in frequent instances as a temporary expedient for 
protection. At the close of the war. Congress added a new restric- 
tion to the laws regulating navigation, which already prohibited 
the admission to registration of foreign-built vessels, by refusing to 
restore to the privileges of the flag those built in the tjnited States 
which had become alienated. In the mean time the cost of labor 
and materials had greatly advanced, rendering it impossible to build 
. in competition with other countries. . 

Another cause is found in the fact that, during the last twenty 
years, steamships have been superseding sailing vessels upon the 
ocean, so that the traffic between North America and Europe is now 
carried on mainly by means of them. Now, while other nations 
are bringing their steam marine to maturity, high prices and the 
restrictions just adverted to have prevented the construction of 
American steamers for the foreign trade, and thus enhanced the 
depression of the shipping interests. 

The dutiable value of merchandise imported into the United 
States during the year 1870 was about $460,000,000, embracing 
the product of every country and clime, in almost every variety. 
The exports for the same year, including specie and bullion, amounted 
to about S500,000,000. With the exception of about six per cent., 
which consisted of foreign merchandise reexported, this exportation 
was of American products, and comprised, among others, the follow- 
ing articles : bread and breadstufis ; cotton, and manufactures of 
cotton ; iron, and manufactures of iron ; naval stores ; oils, coal, 
petroleum, naphtha, and spermaceti ; provisions, including bacon, 
butter, cheese, lard, and pork ; tallow ; tobacco ; wood, and manu- 
factures of wood. 

The traffic between the United States and the countries of the 
north of Europe is immense. The departures of ocean steamers 
from either side average more than one a day through the year. 
There is a large American trade also with the Mediterranean and 
the Levant. For many years American merchants have been in 
close commercial intercourse with the distant East ; and now that 
the Pacific shores of the republic have been settled, and a trans- 
continental railway has been built, a direct trade between the cities 
on the Atlantic seaboard and China is opened by that route, and 
it is anticipated that a part of the traffic between Europe and the 
East Indies Avill also cross the American continent. A line of steam- 
ships plies between San Francisco and Hong Kong, and another 
connects San Francisco with the Sandwich Islands and Australasia. 



RAILWAYS AND TELEGRAPHS. 

The railway system, now covering an enormous total in miles, is 
peculiar in several respects to the United States. Vast distances 
to be spanned, and a deficiency rather than a redundancy of capital 
to be employed, have led to very hasty and even imperfect construc- 
tions. The means of building many roads, especially in the West, 
where railways are constructed to help the settlement of the country, 



52 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



rather than, as in Europe, to facilitate the intercourse in thickly- 
populated regions, were procured by obtaining large grants of pub- 
lic land from Congress, and by issuing bonds, to the payment of 
which the lands, or the traffic of the road, or other security, were 
pledged. Some roads have been built for the sake of a profit, not 
from running them, but from negotiating the stocks, or bonds, or 
lands, belonging to them. Latterly, the tendency has been to the 
consolidation of smaller lines in larger, and to the establishment of 
corporations with powers too great, perhaps, for their own interests, 
and certainly so for other interests. 

But the immigrant is concerned with them, at least in the begin- 
ning, as means of transportation from the seaboard to the interior. 
On this point information has been given in Part I. 

Telegraph, like railroad lines, have been consolidated in the hands 
of great corporations. But they are extensive, generally well man- 
aged, and performing their important service at moderate charges. 
The total length of lines in the United States is 61,207 miles, com- 
prising 133,000 miles of wire. 

Two lines of submarine cable, so called, one from Newfoundland 
to Ireland, the other from Massachusetts to France, connect the 
American with the European shores. 



MILEAGE OF RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES AT THE END 

OF 1869. 



- 


No. OF Miles. 




No. OF Miles. 


Alabama . 


1,081 


Missouri 


1,712 


Arkansas . 






128 


Nebraska 


1,058 


California. 






702 


Nevada 


402 


Connecticut 






692 


New Hampshire . 


702 


Delaware . 






210 


New Jersey . 


1,0] 1 


Florida . 






446 


New York . 


3,658 « 


Georgia . 






1,652 


North Carolina 


1,130 


Illinois 






4,031 


Ohio . . 


3,448 


Indiana . 






2,853 


Oregon . 


60 


Iowa 






2,095 


Pennsylvania 


4,899 


Kansas 






931 


Rhode Island 


125 


Kentucky 






852 


South Carolina 


1,100 


Louisiana 






375 


Tennessee 


1,451 


Maine 






680 


Texas .. 


583 


Maryland . 






588 


Vermont 


622 


Massachusetts 






1,480 


Virginia 


1,483 


Michigan . 






1,325 


W. Virginia . 


387 


Minnesota 






795 


Wisconsin . 


1,512 


Mississippi 






990 







Total miles of railroad 



47,254 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 53 



TAXATION AND REVENUE. 

Taxes, direct and indirect, are levied both by the general and the 
State or municipal governments. 

Those of the United States are as follows : — 

Custom duties on a very great variety of imports, and at largely 
varying rates ; 

Excise duties on spirits, fermented liquors, and tobacco, all at vari- 
able rates ; 

Percentages on banks [capital, circulation and deposits], corpora- 
tions, public amusements, and lotteries, ranging from one twenty- 
fourth of one per cent, to five per cent. ; 

Licenses, partly based upon sales and receipts, in upwards of fifty 
different occupations, from $5 to $500 per annum ; 

Percentages on legacies and successions, from one to six per cent. ; 

Imposts on articles of luxury (billiard-tables, carriages, plate, and 
watches) ; 

Percentages on dividends and interest, at five per cent. ; and, finally, 

An income tax of two and one half per cent. Cn all income exceed- 
ing $2,000. 

There are also stamp duties on various bills, bonds, certificates, 
conveyances, insurance policies, leases, mortgages, and other instru- 
ments, from two cents up to large sums. 

The following table presents a brief statement of receipts and 
expenditures for the year ending June 30, 1870 : — 

Receipts. 

Customs . . . . ■ . . . $194,538,374.44 

Internal revenue 185,128,859.37 

Sales of public lands 3,350,481.76 

Miscellaneous sources ..... 28,237,762.06 



Totai $411,255,477.63 

Expenditures. 

Civil and miscellaneous purposes . . . $69,234,017.16 

War Department . 57,655,675.40 

Navy Department .'..... 21,780,229.87 

Indians and pensions 31,748,140.32 

Interest on public debt .... 129,235,498.00 

Total $309,653,560.75 

The public debt of the United States, which in 1791 amounted 
to $75,463,476, was $88,995,810 in March, 1861. From that date 
it was increased enormously by the Rebellion, amounting on the 1st 
of January, 1866, to $2,716,851,536. On the 1st of January, 1871, 
the debt was $2,332,067,793. 

There are also State and city or town debts, arising chiefly from 
the recent war, and amounting to a very large aggregate. State 
debts will be mentioned under the States. 



54 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

^ Taxes of State and municipal governments vary too much, both in 
kind and in degree, to be properly described within our limits. They 
are generally laid by the State upon corporations, or upon their own 
counties and towns, and by the towns upon corporations and indi- 
viduals. Taxes thus laid are upon both real and personal property. 
Poll-taxes are levied by towns. 

Taxation is heaviest in large cities and lightest in rural districts. 
The rate;9er capita in 1869-70 was $34.41 in Boston, $25.38 in New 

York, and ifftl.^ 7S in Pl^^l«rlolr^l-,;o 



York, and $13.73 in Philadelphia. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



5b 



PART III. 

— • — 
THE STATES. 

The United States of America comprise at present thirty-seven 
States, of which the following list gives the names, the sections, and 
the dates of admission to the Union : — 

NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



Maine 


1820 


Massachusetts . 


1788 


New Hampshire . 


. 1788 


Rhode Island 


1790 


Vermont 


1791 


Connecticut 


1788 




MIDDLE 


STATES. 




New York . 


. 1788 


Pennsylvania 


1787 


New Jersey- 


1787 


Delaware 


1787 




SOUTHERN 


STATES. 




Maryland . 


. 1788 


Florida 


1845 


Virginia . 


1788 


Alabama 


1819 


West Virginia 


. 1862 


Mississippi . 


1817 


North Carolina 


1789 


Louisiana 


1812 


South Carolina . 


. 1788 


Texas 


1845 


Georgia . 


1788 








WESTERN 


STATES. 




Ohio . 


. 1802 


Wisconsin 


1848 


Indiana . 


1816 


Iowa .... 


1846 


Illinois 


. 1818 


Minnesota 


1858 


Kentucky 


1792 


Kansas . . ''"^'. 


1861 


Tennessee . 


. 1796 


Nebraska 


1867 


Arkansas 


1856 


Nevada 


1864 


Missouri 


. 1821 


California 


1850 


Michigan 


1837 


Oregon 


1859 



56 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

I. New England States. 

These are six in number, and of very unequal size ; Maine being 
much the largest, and Rhode Island much the smallest. They occupy 
that portion of the country, between the line of Lake Champlain and 
the Hudson River, on one side, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, 
projecting toward the northeast, beyond the general boundary. The 
name of New England is derived from the fact that these States were 
orio-inally settled by colonists from England, and that many of the 
institutions and customs which they brought with them are still in 
force among their descendants. Except in Maine, all the land of 
any great agricultural value is under cultivation ; hay being the prin- 
cipal crop. Great commercial activity prevails at many points along 
the seaboard. But the chief industry of this section, as will appear 
Irom the following pages, is manufacturing. 

MAINE. 

Area, 31,766 square miles. Population, 626,463. 

Maine, in the extreme northeast, has a great extent of seaboard. It 
is watered by the St. John, Aroostook, Penobscot, Kennebec, and 
other rivers. So numerous are its lakes that one tenth of its area is 
covered by them. Indeed, the marked physical feature of the State 
is the distribution of the water supply. The surface descends from 
the west towards the south and east. 

The soil is fertile only in the centre, particularly between the 
Penobscot and Kennebec, and in the valley of the St. John in the 
east. The north is covered with forests. 

Much of the rural labor is devoted to lumber. Far the most val- 
uable crop is hay ; next to this, at a long interval, are potatoes, 
sometimes called Maine oranges. Agriculture is profitable only in 
the productive districts above mentioned. 

Granite quarries furnish most of the mineral productions. 

Manufactures of cotton, woollen, and leather goods are large. 
Those of lumber are important and characteristic of the State. Ship 
building, however, employs the largest capital. Maine for many years 
built one third of the whole tonnage of the country, and now builds 
more ships than any other State except New York. 

Portland is the point from which the principal railroads radiate, a 
southern line connecting that city with Boston ; western and northern 
lines extending by way of northern New York and Lower Canada to 
the extreme Western States ; and an eastern line, tlii'ough the agricul- 
tural districts towards New Brunswick. 

The State debt January, 1871, was about $8,000,000. 

Male citizens, twenty-one years of age, resident thi'ee months in the 
State, are entitled to vote. 

The State charitable institutions are a Hospital for the Insane, at 
Augusta, and a Reform School, at Cape Elizabeth. 

Portland (population 31,414), the chief commercial city, is an out- 
let for a large amount of western produce brought by way of Canada, 
and has a considerable coastwise and foreign commerce. Bangor 
(18,289) is chiefly engaged in the lumber business, of which it was 
once the leading market of the world. Augusta (7,808) it the 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 57 

capital, and the centre of the richest agricultural district. Lewiston 
contains the principal cotton manufactories of the State. 

The State still owns about 400,000 acres of land, to be given away 
to settlers in tracts of 100 acres; that is, the land they select is to 
revert free at the end of five years to such of them as have built 
permanent homes and cleared not less than fifteen acres. The larger 
part of these lands is in Aroostook County, in the northeastern sec- 
tion of the State. 

State Commissioners of Immigration Avere appointed by the legis- 
lature in 1870, with full authority to dispose of the public lands to 
settlers, establish agencies abroad, and otherwise encourage immigra- 
tion. This board is to furnish information concerning the State, the 
amount of public lands, their value, and the terms on which they are 
offered. A colony of Scandinavians has been settled within a year 
under its auspices on the State lands. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

Area, 9,280 square miles. Population, 318,300. 

Several of the large rivers of New England rise here among the 
mountains, which form the distinctive feature of the State. The 
White Mountain range is chief among the northern ranges, its high- 
est peak being Mount Washington, 6,243 feet. 

The soil, except in meadow lands along the river valleys, must 
be called stern, and work upon it is a hard struggle for the farmer. 
Timber is abundant. 

Iron of excellent quality has been found at Franconia. Good 
granite quarries are worked at Concord and other places. 

Hay is the only crop of considerable value. 

Manufactures of cotton and \yoollen goods and machine-shops 
employ large numbers of operatives. The w^ater-power furnished 
by the principal rivers has attracted capital from other States, and 
contributed more than anything else to the material development 
of the State. 

The main railroad line is that passing through Concord, and 
connecting the seaboard with the interior of New Hampshire and 
Vermont, thence extending into Canada. 

The State debt, October, 1869, was over $2,700,000. 

Male citizens, resident in the town six months, are entitled to 
vote, those excused from paying taxes at their own request excepted. 

The charitable institutions are an Asylum for the Insane, at Con- 
cord, and a Reform School, at Manchester. 

Manchester (23,536), on the Merriraac, has large cotton and hosiery 
mills, print-works, machine-shops, and locomotive works, employing 
many thousand operatives and workmen. There is a public library 
of thirteen thousand volumes. Concord (12,241), the capital, on the 
Merrimac, is the railroad centre of the State. Its leading branches 
of business are carriage building, furniture manufacturing, and stone 
quarrying and dressing. Nashua (10,543) and Dover (9,294) both 
possess large factories, chiefly of cottons. Portsmouth (9,211), the 
only seaport, has a United States navy yard. 



58 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

VERMONT. 

Area, 9,056 square miles. Population, 330,552. 

The Green Mountain range, traversing the length of this State, 
gives it both a name and a physical character. Lake Champlain 
forms about one half of the western boundary. 

The soil, compared with that of New England in general, is fer- 
tile. Many meadows along the streams or across the valleys are 
richly productive. 

Agriculture is in this, as in the other New England States, the 
leading industry. Dairy products are large ; stock-raising is exten- 
sively pursued, and some of the Vermont breeds have a reputation 
throughout the country. Of the crops, hay stands at the head, fol- 
lowed by oats, potatoes, and corn. 

Copper is mined in small quantities. The principal quarries are 
slate and marble. A pure white statuary marble is found here alone. 

Manufactures are of little account in comparison with those of 
the other New England States. 

Commerce in lumber is carried on with Canada by means of 
Lake Champlain. 

The Vermont Central, and Rutland and Burlington Railroads 
cross the State from southeast to northwest, furnishing direct com- 
munication with Canada, New York, New Hampshire, and Massa- 
chusetts. A third road traverses the entire Connecticut valley. 

The State debt is $806,000. 

Every male citizen who has resided in the State one year, and 
has taken the freeman's oath to vote .as he conscientiously believes 
shall best conduce to the good of the State, is entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are an Asylum for the Insane at Brat- 
tleboro', a State Reform School for boys at Waterbury, and a Home 
for Destitute Children at Bm4ington. 

Burlington (14,387) is the chief commercial city. The University 
of Vermont is located here. Rutland (9,834) is the railroad cen- 
tre, in the heart of a fine agricultural region, and St. Albans 
(7,014) is the great distributing point for dairy products. 

Montpelier (3,023) is the capital. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Area, 7,800 square miles. Population, 1,451,351. 

This is the central State of New England. It has a coast line of 
about three hundred and fifty miles, and is watered by many streams, 
of which the Connecticut is the largest. The highest land is in the 
west. 

The soil is poor and shallow, except in the river valleys. 

Agriculture is therefore far from remunerative ; and though the 
crops on many farms are improved by better methods, the general 
result decreases rather than increases in proportion to the growth 
of other industries. 

Granite is the only important mineral production. 

Manufactures are larger than in any other State. Twice as much 
cottons and woollens is produced as in any other, except Pennsyl- 
vania, and more boots and shoes than in all the other States together. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 59 

In commerce the State ranks next to New York. Manufactures 
are exported in large quantities, and the ice trade with foreign coun- 
tries lias long been of importance. The port of Boston employs 
thousands on its wharves and in its warehouses. At other ports 
the fisheries constitute a highly important industry. 

The Boston and Albany Railroad runs through the central part 
of Massachusetts, and connects with other roads to the West. Bos- 
ton is connected with the East by two lines, and with Rhode Island, 
Connecticut, and New York by several more. 

The State debt, January, 1871, was about $28,270,000. 

Every male citizen, twenty-one years of age, able to read the Con- 
stitution in the English language and write his name, resident in 
the State one year, and in the district six months, and having paid 
a tax within two years, is entitled to vote. 

Massachusetts has a Board of State Charities, by which the pub- 
lic institutions are administered with a greater degree of system than 
prevails in most of the States. Three lunatic asylums, four alms- 
houses, an Industrial School for Girls, and two Reformatories for 
Boys are supported by the State, while a great variety of asylums 
and schools receive more or less pecuniary aid. 

Boston (250,526), the capital of Massachusetts, is the second 
city in the United States, commercially. It was founded on three 
hills which formed a slender-necked peninsula. The hills have been 
considerably lowered, and some of the neighboring towns annexed 
to the city. Water is abundantly introduced, the public grounds 
are central and beautiful, and the environs are filling rapidly 
with population. Among the public buildings are Faneuil Hall, 
given to the town by Peter Faneuil, and known as the " Cradle of 
Liberty " in Revolutionary times ; the State House ; the Public 
Library, containing 165,000 volumes ; many school-houses, regarded 
as models of school architecture, one of the latest being the High 
and Normal School for Girls. Besides this, the school system em- 
braces two Latin Schools, claiming to be the oldest in the country ; 
an English High School, in good repute abroad as well as at home ; 
a constantly increasing number of grammar and primary schools ; 
evening schools of different grades, among which is an Industrial 
Drawing School for both sexes ; and two schools for newsboys and 
boot-blacks. Boston is the only place in the country where a com- 
pulsory system has had any real trial. The Lowell Institute, a pri- 
vate foundation, gives free lectures and instruction in drawing 
within its own walls, besides aiding various free courses of instruc- 
tion given elsewhere. The Museum of Natural History is free at 
certain hours. The city charities comprise a Central Bureau, a 
Hospital, a Lunatic Asylum, and a Dispensary of Medicine, within 
the city proper, and almshouses on an island in the harbor. Pri- 
vate charities are of all kinds, and a Provident Association divides 
the city into districts for visiting and relieving the poor. A Blind 
Asylum and an Idiotic School at South Boston, are to a great 
extent State institutions. Boston itself is not a desirable home for 
the immigrant, as rents are high ; but the suburbs are pleasant and 
easily accessible by rail, and the city offers ample opportunity for 
employment, manufacturing, commercial, and industrial, with high 



60 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

wao^es. In the immediate neighborhood of Boston is Cambridge, 
the seat of Harvard University. 

Worcester (41,105) is the centre of agricultural, manufacturing, 
and railway interests. It has a Free Institute of Industrial 
Science. Lowell (40,928) and Lawrence (28,921), on the Mer- 
rimac River, are the chief seats of the cotton and woollen man- 
ufactures of the country, the former employing more than 16,000 
people in those two industries. There are also, in Lowell, iron 
works of all kinds, paper mills, large clothing shops, and a variety 
of other establishments. Lynn (28,233) is the chief boot and shoe 
manufacturing city in the United States, employing, in 1865, nearly 
12,000 persons. The work is largely done by machinery. Fall 
River (26,786) has twenty cotton mills, brass foundries, rolHng 
mills, etc. Springfield (26,703), the principal town of the Connecti- 
cut valley, and Holyoke (10,733) and Chicopee (9,607), in its imme- 
diate neighborhood, are considerable manufacturing towns. New 
Bedford (21,320) is the headquarters of the whaling trade. All 
of the towns above mentioned have public libraries, except Law- 
rence and Holyoke, and even in Lawrence the owners of the Pacific 
Mills have provided a library for the use of their employees. 

A general agent of the Board of State Charities is placed in 
charge of a sub-department of immigration, whose duty it is to super- 
intend the arrival of all passengers from foreign ports. Some ac- 
count of the provisions for immigrants arriving in Boston has been 
given in Part I. 

RHODE ISLAND. 

Area, 1,046 square miles. Population, 217,356. 

Of this State, the first thing to say is-that it is the smallest in the 
Union. It consists of little more than the shores and islands of Nar- 
ragansett Bay. 

Its soil is fair, on the average, but the products are of course com- 
paratively unimportant in amount. 

Manufactures, particularly of cottons, woollens, and machinery, are 
numerous, employing capital and labor in very considerable propor- 
tions. The demand for operatives in these establishments is the chief 
attraction to immigrants. 

Lines of railroad run through the State from north to south and 
east to west. 

The State debt was nearly $3,000,000 in April, 1870. 

Every male citizen of full age, one year in the State, six months in 
the town, owning real estate worth $134, or renting $7 per annum, 
and every native male citizen of full age, two years in the State, six 
months in the town, who is duly registered, who has paid $1 tax, or 
done militia service within the year, is entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are a Hosj^ital for the Insane and a 
Reform School, both at Providence. 

Though so small, Rhode Island has two capitals : one. Providence 
(68,906), the chief city of the State, and centre of the manufacturing 
interests; the other, Newport (12,521). Woonsocket (7,698) and 
Pawtucket (6,619) are active in manufactures. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 61 

CONNECTICUT. 

Area, 4,730 square miles. Population, 537,418. 

Connecticut lies upon the southern slope of the hilly regions of 
New England, its general surface being much diversified. Besides 
the Connecticut River, tAvo other large streams floAv from the north 
into Long Island Sound, the Housatonic, and the Thames. The 
Sound itself, between the southern coast of Connecticut and Long 
Island, is about one hundred miles in length. 

There is very little soil that can be called good, except in the river 
valleys. 

Agriculture is therefore quite as backward as in other parts of New 
England, and the crops are much the same as those mentioned in 
preceding States. 

Iron-ore beds and freestone quarries employ a considerable amount 
of labor. 

But the great industry is in manufactures, many of which require 
ingenuity and intelligence upon the part of the workman. The chief 
products are cotton, woollen, and metallic goods, machinery, sewing- 
machines, carriages, and fire-arms. 

Though this is not a commercial State distinctively, it has a con- 
siderable trade with foreign countries, exporting thither fish, cattle, 
grain, and manufactures. 

Railroad communications are numerous, several lines crossing the 
State from north to south, and two from east to west, connecting the 
shore with the valleys of the interioi*, and forming highways between 
important cities of New England and New York. 

The State debt in April, 1869, was about $6,675,000. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident in the State one 
year and in the town six months, and able to read any article of the 
Constitution, are entitled to vote. 

The oldest Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in the United States is 
that at Hartford. The State has a Hospital for the Insane, a School 
for Imbeciles, three Homes for Soldiers' Orphans, and a Reform 
School. 

Connecticut has two capitals, at which the legislature meets in 
alternate years, — New Haven (50,840) and Hartford (37,180). 
The former is extensively engaged in trades and manufactures, and 
contains many educational and charitable institutions, among them 
Yale College. Hartford is a great manufacturing centre, and is also 
noted for the large business done by its banking and insurance 
companies. It contains several large charitable institutions, and has 
i public library, the Watkinson, of several thousand volumes. 
Bridgeport (18,969), Waterbury (10,826), Norwich (16,653), and 
Meriden are all engaged in manufactures which employ a large num- 
ber of hands. 



62 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

n. Middle States. 
These are so called on account of their having formerly occupied a 
middle position among the thirteen Colonies. They are but four in 
number, two of them much larger than the other two. The region 
covered by them extends, generally speaking, from Lakes Erie and 
Ontario, on the west, to the Atlantic, on the east, forming a compact 
territory with extraordinary facilities of communication between one 
part and another, as well as between itself and the surrounding dis- 
tricts. The industries of this section are of the most varied descrip- 
tion. Agricultm'e prospers, and commerce assumes larger proportions 
than in any other part of the country ; while mining and manufactur- 
ing interests are of still greater extent, and give employment to con- 
tinually growing numbers. 

NEW YORK. 

Ai-ea, 50,519 square miles. Population, 4,362,834. 

New York, the most populous State, with an area nearly equal to 
that of England, has an extensive lake and river frontier on the north 
and west. The Adirondacks in the north and the Catskills in the 
east form two mountain districts. The chief river is the Hudson, in 
the east, three himdred and fifty miles long. Other rivers are the 
Mohawk, draining the centre, and the Genesee, in the west. The St. 
Lawrence flows along the northern border. Lake Champlain lies on 
the east, and Lakes Erie and Ontario on the north and west. 

The soil of the northern plateaus is a rich, sandy loam ; that of 
the southeast is poor, but under a high cultivation ; while that of the 
southwest is alluvial and productive. 

The staple crops are hay, corn, oats, potatoes, and wheat. Dairy 
products are very large. The northern county of St. Lawrence pro- 
duces a larger quantity of maple sugar than any other county in the 
State or nation. The forests in the north are very extensive, and 
deer and other game are found there. 

The chief mineral products are marble and salt. Mineral springs 
of great value are found at Saratoga, Sharon, and many other 
places. 

The manufactures of the State are important, though relatively 
less extensive than those of several other States. Boot and shoe fac- 
tories are most numerous ; flour mills come next, and carriage fac- 
tories, tanneries, and iron foundries employ la,rge bodies of workmen. 
Trade and manufactures in timber of all kinds are very large. 

The commerce of half the nation is carried on through the port of 
New York, and seven eighths of the government revenue from imports 
are collected there. 

The internal improvements of New York are more elaborate than 
those of any other State. There are nearly nine hundred miles of 
canal, and the inland navigation afforded by these and the lakes and 
rivers united by them is about one thousand four hundred miles. 
Of the fourteen canals, the largest is the Erie, three hundred and 
fifty miles long, connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. 
There are fifty-five different lines of railroad, over three thousand four 
hundred miles in length, traversiuo; the State in all directions. The 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 63 

Erie road crosses the southern part from east to west, running nearly 
parallel with the Erie Canal. Its branches intersect southern New 
York and northern Pennsylvania and New Jersey in all directions, 
while its western extensions connect New York with the principal West- 
ern States. The New York Central Raihoad bears the same relation 
to the central part, crossing- it from east to west, and sending out 
branches to the right and left. Extensions of this line connect with 
roads to Boston and the New England coast, with New York City, 
and on the northwest Avith Canada. 

The State debt, October, 1869, was upwards of $43,000,000. 

Males twenty-one years of age, resident in the State one year, are 
entitled to vote. 

The public charities of the State are under the direction of a 
Board of Commissioners. The Deaf and Dumb Institution, in New 
York City, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. There is a 
Blind Institute at New York, and another at Batavia. Four State 
Asylums for Idiots are established at Syracuse, Utica, Ovid, and 
Poughkeepsie, an Inebriate Asylum at Binghamton, and a House 
of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents at Rochester. Of the very nu- 
merous county, city, and town institutions this is not the place to 
speak. 

New York (922,531), the largest city and commercial metrop- 
olis of the country, covers the greater part of Manhattan Island, 
at the mouth of the Hudson River, which there mingles with the 
waters of Long Island Sound. The island is about thirteen miles 
long, but nowhere more than tAvo miles Avide. ToAvards the nortkern 
part of the city begins a series of Avide and beautiful avenues, Avhich, 
running nearly parallel Avith the rivers on either side of the city, 
traverse the full length of the island. These are crossed at right an- 
gles by numerous broad streets, the number of which noAv reaches 
one hundred and fifty-nine. Broadway, the principal street, and the 
main avenue and business thoroughfare of the city, runs through the 
centre of the island and city for a distance of several miles. In Wall 
Street and in Broad Street near by are the Exchange and Custom 
House, other public buildings, and the great banking establishments. 
Many of the public buildings are large and costly, though not of 
much architectural beauty. Trinity Church is the finest ecclesiasti- 
cal edifice. But the principal structures are the hotels, theatres, and 
warehouses. The city has eleven parks and squares, the largest be- 
ing the Central Park, which has an area of eight hundred and fifty 
acres, and has been laid out at an expense of over $10,000,000. In- 
closed in the Park are three of the principal reservoirs of the Croton 
Aqueduct, by Avhich Ncav York is supplied Avith Avater brought from 
Croton Lake, forty miles distant. The public schools, Avith a free 
college at their head, number over two hundred, and are under the 
direction of a Board of Education and the care of tAvo thousand five 
hundred teachers, tAvo thousand of Avhom are women. Over two 
hundred thousand pupils are in regular attendance. In addition to 
numerous private schools, there are five colleges, Avith departments of 
law and medicine, and several theological seminaries. There are 
several large libraries, the only free one being the Astor, so named 
from its founder, a German by birth. The Cooper Institute has a free 



6-i HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGBANTS 

reading-room, and provides otherwise for the instruction and enter- 
tainment of the working-classes. There were thirty-two savings-banks, 
with upwards of three hundred thousand depositors, in 1869. The city 
gives employment to a large commercial and a still larger manufac- 
turing population. An idea of the business here may be gained from 
the statement that there are three hundred and twenty-four compa- 
nies for manufacturing, one hundred and fifty-two for mining pur- 
poses, ninety-three steam-railroads, and thirteen horse-railroad com- 
panies, thirty-three petroleum companies, and twelve telegraph com- 
panies. The city letter-carriers deliver during a year 21,384,086 
mail and city letters and 2,589,663 newspapers, and collect from 
boxes 28,551,910 letters for the mails. Twenty-two correctional and 
charitable institutions are under the care of public commissioners. 
During the year 1869, over ninety-two thousand persons were cared 
for in these institutions, at a cost of about $2,000,000. The charita- 
ble institutions maintained by private associations are still more nu- 
merous ; indeed, it may be said with truth that every form of suffer- 
ing and want is more or less provided for. The chief drawback to 
the real prosperity of this great city is its municipal government, 
which has fallen into hands either unable or unwilling to administer 
it for the common welfare. Its abuses weigh upon all classes, and 
even more heavily upon the poor than upon the rich. A very large 
number of men and women who find occupation here reside in the 
suburbs. 

The German Emigrant Aid Society of New York is the oldest 
society of the kind in the country, having been in existence eighty- 
seven years. In 1870, it numbered eleven hundred members, and 
had an annual income (from a fund, and yearly subscriptions) of 
$22,000. It is managed by the most respectable German residents 
of the city. At its office (13 Broadway, only a short walk from Cas- 
tle Garden) German immigrants will receive, 1. Any advice and 
information they may need ; 2. Assistance in purchasing tickets 
for the interior ; 3. Gratuitous medical treatment, if without means, 
in case of sickness ; 4. In case of entire destitution, small gifts of 
money ; 5. Assistance in obtaining legal redress for any wrong they 
may suf!er. The society will also forward and receive letters for 
immigrants ; carry on correspondence for them ; exchange foreign 
into American money ; and make and receive remittances to and 
from the old country ; receive and forward valuables and parcels of 
every description ; and execute powers of attorney, and collect in- 
heritances. The Irish Aid Society does similar work. 

The Commissioners of Public Charities have established an Em- 
ployment Office at No. 8 Clinton Place, where thousands of persons, 
immigrants included of course, obtain work free of charge. 

Brooklyn (396,300), on Long Island, directly opposite New York, 
is the second city of the State in point of population. Its docks 
and warehouses contribute greatly to the traffic which centres in its 
neighborhood. Prospect Park, nearly as large as Central Park, and 
naturally more picturesque and beautiful, lies on the eastern side of 
the city. Buffalo (117,115), on Lake Erie, is thS principal city 
of western New York. Erie County, in which it is situated, is one 
of the richest agricultural districts of the State. Buffalo has nu- 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 65 

merous manufactures, the most important being iron and agricultu- 
ral implements, and its commerce in Western grains is very large. 
It contains the usual public institutions. Albany (G9,422) is the 
capital. Rochester (62,315) is the most extensive flour-producing 
city in the Union. Troy (45,481) has important iron-mills, and the 
largest Bessemer steel works in the country. On the opposite side 
of the Hudson, Watervliet has the same classes of manufactures. 
Syracuse (43,058) is the seat of extensive salt manufactures. It has 
a public library. Other important cities are Utica (28,804), Oswego 
(20,910), a principal channel of trade with Canada, and Newburg 
(17,014), largely interested in dauy products. 

A Board of Commissioners of Emigration was established by the 
New York legislature more than twenty years ago. The captain of 
a vessel bringing immigrants is required to give not only their names, 
but also the place of birth, former place of residence, age, occupation, 
and mental and physical condition. For each person thus landed the 
ship bringing him must pay $2.50 as " commutation " or " head- 
money," which sum forms a fund for building hospitals and houses of 
refuge for the protection of immigrants. This fund is intended also 
to save the State from the expense of supporting any who by reason 
of illness, misfortune, or vicious habits may become paupers. In con- 
sideration of this payment, each immigrant is entitled to live, Avhile in 
want, in the public buildings of the Commission or the poor-house of 
any county in the State for five years succeeding his arrival in this 
country. A description of the Emigrant Landing Depot, at Castle 
Garden, New York, has been given in Part I. 

NEW JERSEY. 

Area, 7,576 square miles. Population, 905,794. 

The northern part of New Jersey is crossed by a series of ridges 
separated by the Appalachian chain, and is mountainous ; the centre 
is hilly, and the southern part level and sandy. .The State is well 
watered, with inlets from the Atlantic on the east, the Delaware and 
its tributaries on the west, and others in the north and centre. 

Hay, corn and other grains, vegetables, and fruits, are the chief 
agricultural products. 

The minerals of New Jersey are iron, copper, and zinc, all located 
in the northern section of the State. Marl, admirably adapted for 
fertilizing the soil, is found convenient in all parts of the southern 
and central sections. 

The production of iron now reaches 60,000 tons annually. Many 
glass factories are in the southwest. Silk manufactures are exten- 
sive. Salt is manufactured on the coast. The region lying opposite 
New York on the Hudson is largely engaged in almost every variety 
of American manufactures. 

The principal railroad is a line from Jersey City, opposite New 
York, to Philadelphia, eighty-eight miles. There is a connection 
between the same cities, by means of a canal. 

The State debt in January, 1870, was about $3,000,000. 

Male citizens, twenty-one years of age, resident one year in the 
State and five months in the county, are entitled to vote. 



6Q HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

The State charitable institutions are a Lunatic Asylum and a 
Soldiers' Children's Home, at Trenton, and a Home for Disabled 
Soldiers, at Newark. The deaf, dumb, blind, and idiotic are sent at 
public expense to proper institutions in adjoining States. 

Newark (105,059), the largest city, is now the third manufacturing 
city in the United States. In the three trades of iron, jewelry, and 
leather alone, it employs 6,000 hands, and produces goods worth over 
$13,000,000. The total product of its manufactures in 1869 was 
nearly $40,000,000. Jersey City (82,547) is the landing-place 
of the Cunard steamers, and the terminus of numerous railroads. 
Paterson (33,582) is the second manufacturing city in the State. 
Trenton (22,874) has abundant water-power, and is a leading ' manu- 
facturing town. It contains paper-mills, iron foundries, locomotive 
works, rolling, flour, and saw mills, and extensive potteries. 

There is much unoccupied land which can be purchased at from 
$5 to $20 an acre, on easy terms. It is sandy, and requires fertiliz- 
ing, which may be done cheaply from the marl-beds. Immigrants, 
who desire to settle on the Atlantic seaboard, to engage in fruit and 
vegetable gardening for the great city markets, may find homes on 
these lands. The remotest parts of the State are within four hours' 
ride by rail of Philadelphia or New York. 

PENNSYLVANIA, 

Area, 47,000 square miles. Population, 3,519,601. 

The surface of Pennsylvania is traversed by the Appalachian 
range of mountains, which breaks it into a succession of valleys 
admirably adapted for agricultural purposes. It is watered by the 
Delaware, which forms its eastern boundary, affords navigation along 
half the line of the State, and through Delaware Bay connects the 
principal city with the Atlantic, while giving a harbor for the largest 
sea-woino- vessels. The Susquehanna crosses the State in the east 
from north to south.. The western slope is watered by the Alle- 
ghany and Monongahela rivers, which unite at Pittsburg and form 
the Ohio ; this flows in a southwesterly direction to the Mississippi, 
and provides steamboat navigation from this State to the Gulf of 
Mexico. 

The soil of the southern half is loam on a limestone base ; of the 
northern half, sand and shale : the former best adapted for wheat and 
corn, the latter for grazing. All the valley lands, however, are 
superior wheat-growing soils. 

Hay, corn, oats, and wheat are the chief crops. In 1869 the State 
is described as having been first, of all in the amount of rye, oats, 
and buckwheat harvested. Its farming is generally conducted with 
comparative skill. 

The minerals are iron, coal (anthracite and bituminous), oil, 
copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and salt. Marble, sandstone, limestone, 
serpentine, and granite, for building purposes, are abundant and ac- 
cessible. All of these are extensively and profitably worked in many 
parts of the State. The anthracite region is in the east, the bitumi- 
nous in the west. According to the latest returns the annual product 
of iron is 1,000,000 tons ; of coal, anthracite 15,000,000 tons; bitumi- 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 67 

nous, 7,000,000 ; of petroleum, 189,681,390 gallons. The anthracite 
coal region, witliin twelve hours' ride from the seaboard, offers great 
inducements to families, especially to miners. Two or three thou- 
sand men coming annually to this region would find ready employ- 
ment. Miners earn from $40 to $80 a month ; common laborers, fi'om 
$25 to $40 a month. There is also work for boys at from $6 to $12. 
Laborers with families are provided with houses, grounds for gar- 
dens, and fuel for family use, at a rent of $1 a week. Tools and 
implements are furnished by the employer. 

The State is rather agricultural and mining than manufacturing. 
It has, however, large factories of iron and steel, textile fabrics, and 
clothing, in which great numbers of hands are required. The line of 
the Lehigh River, between Easton and Mauch Chunk, abounds in 
blast furnaces and rolling-mills. The immigrant can reach this 
region in four hours fi-om New York, by way of the New Jersey 
Central and Lehigh Valley railroads. He can buy his ticket to 
Allentown as a good centre. The line of the Schuylkill River from 
Philadelphia to Pottsville also abounds in the same class of work, and 
is reached by the Reading Railway. 

The foreign commerce is not extensive, but the coasting trade that 
centres in the port of Philadelphia is very large. 

The Pennsylvania Central Railroad, extending east and west 
through the entire length of the State, with its branches and con- 
nections, affords the shortest route between New York as well as 
Philadelphia, and the Western and Northwestern States; and it 
is the most substantially constructed and skilfully managed rail- 
road in America. The Philadelphia and Erie road runs diagonally 
across the State fi'om southeast to northwest, connecting Delaware 
Bay and Lake Erie. The Northern Central road crosses the State 
from north to south. The Cumberland Valley road gives an outlet 
from the capital of the State into Virginia and the Southern States. 
The Philadelphia and Wilmington road joins the chief city with 
Baltimore and Washington. From Pittsburg as a centre, railroads 
are constructed to the coal mines, to the oil region, northward to the 
Lakes, southwest along the Ohio, and westward to the Mississippi. 
Other roads run. in various du'ections. Numerous canals provide 
transportation, especially in the eastern coal districts. 

The State debt, December, 1869, was over $32,800,000. 

The right of suffrage is enjoyed by male citizens of the United 
States twenty-one years of age, resident in the State one year and in 
the election district ten days immediately preceding the election, 
who have paid a State or county tax within two years. 

The State contains six Asylums for the Lisane, Institutions for the 
Deaf and Dumb, Blind, Feeble-minded, tAvo Houses of Refuge, thirty 
Homes for Soldiers' Orphans, besides a very large number of local 
and private charities. 

Philadelphia (674,022), the chief city and seaport of Penn- 
sylvania, and the second city in magnitude in the United States, 
is mainly situated on a level plain between the Delaware and 
Schuylkill rivers. It stretches from its southern to its northern 
limits twenty miles, and from east to west eight miles. The plan of 
the city, as originally laid out by WilUam Penn, is exceedingly regular, 



68 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

and almost all the streets cross at right angles. The city is remark- 
able for the comfortable dwellings Avithin reach of all working classes. 
The population averages but one family to a dwelling. This is 
largely owing to the organization of cooperative building associations, 
and to the leasing or purchase of lots upon unchangeable ground 
rents. Fairmount Park, comprising nearly 3,000 acres, along both 
sides of the Schuylkill, is very attractive. Its location insures the 
purity of the water supplied to the city. Among the public buildings 
is the State House, in Independence Square, where the Declaration 
of Independence of the United States was adopted, July 4th, 1776. 
The United States Custom House, the Mint, the Merchants' Ex- 
change, and the Masonic Temple are all large public buildings. 
Many of the churches are of more than ordinary architectural ex- 
cellence. The University of Pennsylvania is the chief literary insti- 
tution. The Academy of Natural Sciences contains a very valuable 
Museum. Girard College, so named from its founder, of French 
origin, educates nearly 500 orphan boys. Public schools are 380 in 
number, with above 1,500 teachers and 80,000 pupils. Hospitals, 
asylums, and other charitable associations are numerous and useful. 
In manufactures Philadelphia ranks as the first city of the United 
States, and employs a very great amount of skilled labor. The immi- 
grant who prefers the city to the country can find nowhere else better 
opportunity for employment or an equal one for a pleasant home. 

Pittsburg (86,235), the second city of the State, at the junction of the 
Alleghany and Monongahela, is surrounded by a chain of hills con- 
taining coal, iron, and limestone, the working up of which gives con- 
stant employment to large numbers. It has an extensive trade, on 
the west with the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, on the east with 
Philadelphia and New York. Reading (33,932) is both the market 
for a rich agricultural district and the centre of extensive manufac- 
tures, especially in iron. Harrisburg (23,109), the capital, is the point 
from which seven railroads radiate, and is surrounded by fertile and 
well cultivated farms. Pottsville (12,384) is remarkable for the im- 
mense trade in coal which centres there. Erie (19,646) upon Lake 
Erie, is the channel through which much western traffic passes. 

In the northern counties, west of the Susquehanna, large tracts of 
land are now offered to actual settlers. They are heavily timbered, 
and contain vast deposits of bituminous coal and iron ore. 

DELAWARE. 

Area, 2,120 square miles. Population, 125,015. 

This State, the smallest but one in the Union, forms the southern 
or western shore of Delaware Bay. 

Its soil varies from sand in the south to a rich clay in the north, 
producing small crops, of which corn is the most valuable. Peaches 
are raised in large quantity for city markets. 

The State has no debt proper, but has lent bonds to railroads. 

Male citizens, twenty-one years of age, may vote upon one year's 
residence, the last month thereof being in the county. 

Dover (1,906) is the capital. The only considerable town is 
Wilmington (30,841), where the Delaware Railroad, traversing the 



TO THE UNITED STATES. ' 69 

State, the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore, and the Read- 
ing and Wilmington railroads all meet. It is connected with the 
sea by Christiana Crook and the Delaware. As a manufacturing 
town it is noted chiefly for its flour, paper, and powder mills. 

An immigrant will find few, if any good schools for his children in 
Delaware. 

III. Southern States. 

This division includes ten States, bordering upon the Atlantic and 
Gulf of Mexico, with one in the interior, or eleven in all. The one 
is West Virginia, set off from Virginia during the recent war, and 
naturally divided from that State by the ridges of the Alleghanies, 
which form a physical boundary on the west and north, between the 
mass of the Southern States and their neighbors east of the Missis- 
sippi River. Westward of the river extend the States of Louisiana 
and Texas, the latter reaching far beyond the present limits of civil- 
ized settlements, and covering one third of the entire southern section. 
Manufactures are neither numerous nor largely productive through- 
out the South. There are but two commercial ports of the first class : 
one on the northern border, Baltimore ; the other on the southern, 
New Orleans. Agriculture is in every respect the leading interest, 
and cotton the leading staple. 

The disturbances produced by the late Rebellion throughout the 
Southern States, have by no means entirely subsided ; and immi- 
grants are warned to make careful inquiries on the spot, before com- 
mitting themselves to any place of residence. Slavery is gone, but 
its evil effects still linger. 

MARYLAND. 

Area, 11,124 square miles. Population, 780,894. 

The Potomac River, which forms the southern border of Maryland, 
and the Chesapeake Bay, which divides it geographically into two 
unequal portions, make it very irregular in shape. Topographically, 
the State has three sections : the tide-water section, low and levelj 
including both shores lying upon Chesapeake Bay and its tributa- 
ries ; the Blue Ridge section, a broad belt of parallel plateaus ex- 
tending westward to the foot of the Alleghanies ; and the mountain 
or Alleghany section. 

The soil in the centre and east is good, well wooded, and supplied 
with excellent water. 

The leading crops are Indian corn, wheat, pats, and hay. Tobacco 
is raised in moderate quantities. Fruit is abundant. 
The chief minerals are coal, iron, and fire-clay. 
The only important manufacture is that of flour. 
Commerce is active at Baltimore, which in point of foreign trade 
is the sixth port in the Union. A large amount of capital and 
numerous hands are employed in the fishei'ies and oyster trade. 

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crosses the State west of 
Chesapeake Bay from north to south, and then skirts it from east to 
west. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal extends along the line of 
the Potomac on the southern boundary. 

The State debt, September, 1868, was upwards of $8,650,000. 



70 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Male citizens, above twenty-one years of age, resident one year in 
the State and six months in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The Maryland Hospital for the Insane, at Baltimore, is the 
principal charitable institution. 

Baltimore (26 7,354) is the chief city of the State, and the sixth 
in population of the United States. It is called the " Monumental 
City," simply because it contains two monuments. It has a public 
park of more than 600 acres. The public buildiiag of most interest 
to the stranger is the Peabody Institute, so named from its founder, 
George Peabody, and containing various collections, admission to 
which is free. The Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the 
Mechanic Arts has day and night schools, in which instruction in 
design is given to both sexes. The city embraces a great A^ariety of 
manufactiu-ing industries. It is considered one of the best markets 
for flour, and the best market for tobacco, in the United States. It 
contains upwards of one hundred and twenty public schools, several 
other educational institutions, and numerous hospitals, asylums, and 
other charities. Annapolis (5,745), the capital, has no special at- 
tractions for the immigrant. 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

Area, 55 square miles. Population, 131,706. 

The District of Columbia, on the Potomac, is the seat of the 
National Government. It is under the immediate jurisdiction of 
Congress, but has its own Supreme Court and the municipal govern- 
ments of its two cities, Washington and Georgetown. Washington, 
(109,204), the national capital, contains the Executive Mansion ; the 
Capitol, with the Senate and Representative chambers, the Supreme 
Court room, and other public offices ; buildings for the different de- 
partments of government ; a national observatory ; a navy yard ; 
with a large number of administrative and charitable establishments. 

VIRGINIA. 

Ai-ea, 38,352 square miles. Population, 1,224,947. 

The State is usually described in four districts : 1st, the tide-water, 
in the northeast, generally level, and divided by a number of rivers, 
such as the Rappahannock, Appomattox, and James ; 2d, the Pied- 
mont, between the above and the Blue Ridge, more varied in its 
surface ; 3d, the valley of the Shenandoah, between the Blue Ridge 
and the higher ranges of the Alleghany Mountains ; 4th, the Alle- 
ghany, in the southwest, generally mountainous. 

INIuch of the Alleghany region is rocky, and covered with the 
original forest. The valleys, when well cultivated, are productive, 
and this is especially true of the Shenandoah valley, one of the best 
agricultural districts in the United States. In the Piedmont district 
the soil is variable, often sandy, and in some counties quite thin. 
The tide-water counties range from the barren sand between the bay 
and the ocean to the sandy loam of more southern counties, and the 
great swamps in the southeast. These swamps furnish much valuable 
timber. Timber is, in fact, plentiful in nearly all parts of the State, 
but especially in the mountain districts. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 71 

The staple productions are tobacco, of which 65,000,000 lbs. were 
produced in 1869, Indian corn, wheat, and oats. Many articles are 
produced in smaller (quantities. A large crop of garden vegetables 
is raised in the southeastern counties, which, owing to the easy com- 
munication by water with the best markets, such as Baltimore, Phil- 
adelphia, and New York, is very profitable. 

The mineral resources are very great. In regard to the coal 
deposits in the Kanawha valley, a recent surveyor writes that the 
area of coal beds exceeds that of all the known deposits of Great 
Britain ; that the coal is of excellent quality, both for fuel and smelt- 
ing purposes ; that it is most accessible, and that it can be trans- 
ported to the iron ores lying on either edge of the coal field, at very 
small cost. They abound in the bituminous, the cannel, and the 
"splint" coal. A hundred miles east of the coal, and less than a 
hundred miles west and north, are iron ore deposits of great extent 
and excellent quality. In the southeastern counties are considerable 
beds of shell marl, which are found valuable on exhausted soil, of 
which the State possesses a considerable extent. Nitre is abundant. 

Manufactures are of tobacco and lumber. 

Two railroads, starting from Alexandria, cross the State diagonally 
to Bristol and Danville on the southern border, and connect with 
lines to Savannah, on the Atlantic, and Mobile, on the Gulf coast. 
A third line runs south from Richmond to Wilmington, in North 
Carolina, and a fourth crosses the centre of the State to AVhite Sul- 
phur Springs. There are several canals in different parts. 

The State debt in September, 1869, was nearly $46,000,000. 

Every male citizen twenty-one years old, resident in the State 
twelve months and in the district three months, has the right of suf- 
frage. 

Richmond (51,038), capital, on the James River, is the largest 
city. It contains several cotton and a large number of tobacco 
factories, flour-mills, machine-shops, etc. The falls of the James, 
just above the city, furnish immense water-power. Other towns of 
importance are Petersburg (18,950), Norfolk (19,254), Lynchburg 
(6,825), and Staunton (5,120). 

A State Board of Immigration at Richmond, with agents in the 
city of New York and elsewhere, has published pamphlets contain- 
ing information in regard to the resources of the State. 

Arrangements have been made with all the different railroads 
terminating in Richmond, by which persons looking for land are en- 
abled to purchase tickets at half price. An association under the 
title of the " Virginia International Land, Loan, and Trust Com- 
pany," has been chartered by the State for the purpose of aiding 
immigration, the introduction of capital, and the development of 
agricultural and other interests. 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

Area, 26,000 square miles. Population, 442,032. 

The surface of West Virginia is much broken, with a general 
slope toAvards the valley of the Ohio River. The Alleghany range 
extends along the eastern line. The principal rivers are tributaries 



72 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

of the Ohio, which forms the northwestern boundary for about three 
hundred miles, and the Shenandoah, emptying into the Potomac on 
the northeast. 

The soil of the river bottoms is generally rich, and even that of 
the mountains, though thin, is mostly available for raising certain 
crops, and for grazing, after the timber has been removed. About 
two thirds of the State are covered with timber, some of it extremely 
valuable. 

Grains and fruits grow well. Cattle and sheep are raised with 
comparative ease. 

The mineral resources are extensive. Fields estimated at 15,000 
square miles are rich in bituminous coal. L'on ores are found 
nearly everywhere, and often in close contiguity with the coal 
needed to work them. Petroleum and salt springs are in some of 
the western counties; The Wliite Sulphur Springs are in the 
southeast. 

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crosses the northern part, con- 
necting east and west with the general railroad system of the coun- 
try. The Chesapeake and Ohio road runs across the southern part. 

There is no State debt. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident in the State one 
year, and in the county thirty days, are entitled to vote. 

The only charitable institution is a Hospital for the Insane, at 
Weston. 

Wheeling (19,282), on the Ohio, is largely engaged in iron, glass, 
and other manufacturing enterprises. It also has an extensive 
trade by steamboats on the Ohio River, and by the Baltimore and 
Ohio Railroad. Parkersburg (5,546), also on the Ohio, gives em- 
ployment to large numbers in manufactures connected with petro- 
leum. Charlestown (1,593) is the capital. 

There is a State Commissioner of Immigration who has published 
a Handbook and Immigrant's Guide, descriptive of the State and its 
resources. Agencies have been established in New York and Bal- 
timore, and in Germany. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

Area, 50,704 square miles. Population, 1,071,137. 

This State is divided into three districts : the eastern, of swamps 
with cedar and cypress woods, and plains with pines ; the middle, 
of rolling lands ; and the western, of valleys and hills, where the 
Blue Ridge of the AUeghanies crosses the country. All the impor- 
tant rivers, of which Cape Fear is the largest, rise in the western 
mountains, and flow southeasterly into the ocean. 

The swamp lands are described as of inexhaustible fertility when 
reclaimed. The pine lands are sandy, but capable of being ren- 
dered productive. Rich, but much worn soil is found in the middle 
district ; while soil well fitted for grazing is in the western. 

Bituminous coal is found over an area of forty square miles. Iron 
ores of good quality are mined in various quarters. Gold, silver, 
and copper mining are prosecuted on rather a small scale. Marl 
beds are worked in the eastern swamps and plains. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 73 

Of agricultural crops, corn, wheat, tobacco, and cotton take the 
lead. Peas, beans, and jDotatoes are raised in larger quantities than 
in most other States. 

The products of the forest are abundant and valuable. Tar, tur- 
pentine, pitch, and resin are gathered in greater amount than in all 
the other States combined. 

Fisheries are also valuable, about 100,000 barrels being packed 
for market in Albemarle Sound alone. 

Manufactures and commerce are principally employed about tur- 
pentine, flour, lumber, and cotton, and in that order. 

Tavo railroads traverse the State from north to south, the Wil- 
mington and Weldon in the east, and the North Carolina (and its 
extension) in the centre. A main route fi'om the seacoast at More- 
head City runs westward through the centre to the foot of the Blue 
Ridge Numerous branches connect most parts of the State with 
these main lines. The Dismal Swamp Canal crosses the northeast- 
ern part. 

The State debt, October, 1869, Avas over $34,000,000. 

Male citizens over twenty-one years of age, resident one year in 
the State and thirty days in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The State has an Insane Asylum and an Institution for the Deaf 
and Dumb and Blind, both at Raleigh. 

Wilmington (13,446), in the southeast, is the most important town. 
It has a large trade, and some important manufactures. Steamers 
ply between it and Charleston. Raleigh (7,790), the capital, is the 
market town of a large agricultural district. 

About 5,000,000 acres, two fifths near the coast, the rest in the 
mountains, are owned by the State, and are for sale at twenty-five 
cents an acre* to actual settlers. The North Carolina Homestead 
Association offers lands in Caldwell and MacDowell Counties, that 
is, in the western part of the State, at $1,000 per square mile, or 
six hundred and forty acres. A very large amount of good farming 
lands in the west and centre is yet to be improved. Much of the 
swamp land in the east is subject to fever. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 

Area, 34,000 square miles. Population, 728,000. 

Like North Carolina, this State is divided into three sections, 
familiarly called the " Swamp Lands," with forests, " Middle Coun- 
try," generally undulating, and " Ridge " or " Upland District," 
broken and hilly. The rivers, of whicli the principal is the Great 
Pedee, rise in the Blue Ridge, and flow through the State into the 
Atlantic. The Savannah River flows along the entire southwestern 
border. 

The soil, richest in the sea islands, becomes less productive to- 
wards the interior, and least so among the liills. 

No other State produces so much rice. Cotton is a very large 
crop, and corn and other grains are raised in considerable amounts. 

Gold is found in several places, but the results arc inconsiderable. 
Mineral wealth of far greater value exists in the Carolina Marl-bed, 
and the phosphate rocks of the Charleston basin, now attracting cap- 
ital and labor. 



74 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

The manufactures are chiefly in cotton, flour, and lumber. 

A raih'oad from Wilmington, in North Carolina, traverses the 
State from east to west. Another line crosses it from north to south, 
intersecting the first at Columbia. The South Carolina Railroad, 
from Charfeston to Augusta, opens communication with the West ; 
the Charleston and Savannah Kailroad, with the South. 

The State debt, November, 1869, was over $6,Q 60,000. 

Males tAventy-one years of age, resident one year in the State 
and sixty days m the county, are entitled to vote. 

The Lunatic Asylum at Columbia is a State institution. 

Charleston (48,956), between the Ashley and Cooper rivers, is 
the principal city, and the only seaport of any consequence. It em- 
ploys a large industrial population. Its trade in phosphate fertilizers 
distributed'' throuohout the South, but more to Georgia than to any 
other part, amounted in 1869 to ^2,000,000. A High School and a 
Medical College are among the fcAv public institutions which have 
survived the wax. The war inflicted great damage on Columbia 
(9,298), the capital. 

Unimproved lands can be had in unlimited quantities in the 
swamp and middle districts at about one-fourth the rates of im- 
proved lands, and can be rented at nominal rates. Land in small 
tracts for farming purposes can be easily procured in the swamp and 
northern districts by purchase or rental. 

Several planters and farmers of Newberry County have formed 
an Immigration Society, by which a fund has been raised and an 
agent employed for bringing immigrants into that district. 

GEORGIA. 

Area, 58,000 square miles. Population, 1,195,077. 

Two distinct portions of territory are embraced within this State, 
one called Upper, the other Lower Georgia. The first is in the 
north, where the Alleghanies terminate, and from which a plateau 
of table-land extends southward. The second is in the south, begin- 
ning towards the centre with terraces of rolling country, and ending 
on the coast with lowlands and swamps. There is plenty of timber. 
The Savannah is the principal stream in the east, the Altamaha in 
the centre, and the Chattahoochee in the west. 

Tlie soil varies from the light sand of the coast to the red loam 
of the upper plateaus. Not the least desirable lands to occupy are 
to be found in the valleys of the north. 

The principal crops are cotton, rice, and corn. 

Minerals are found only in the mountains, sometimes called the 
Georgia Gold Region, and in small quantities. 

The commerce of the State is confined to a coasting trade with 
the other States in cotton, rice, lumber, and naval stores. 

Georgia has built and is building more raihoads than any other 
Southern State. The main line north and south, connecting with 
tlie Tennessee roads, and crossed by two lines east and west, one at 
Atlanta, the other at Macon, diverges at the latter point so as to 
terminate at Brunswick, on the Atlantic, and St. Mark's, on the Gulf 
of Mexico. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 75 

The State debt, January, 1870, was over $6,000,000. 

Every male person, twenty-one years old, native or naturalized, 
or who has legally declared his intention to become a citizen, resi- 
dent six months in the State and thirty days in the county, and 
owing no taxes, is entitled to vote. 

A State Lunatic Asylum at Medway, and an Academy for the 
Blind at Macon, are the only charitable institutions. 

Savannah (28,235), on the Savannah River, is the chief com- 
mercial city. Augusta (7,811), on the Savannah, is the principal 
manufacturing town, and promises to become the cotton spinning 
city of the South. Macon (10,810) is the centre of a cotton-grow- 
ing district. Atlanta (21,789) is the capital and an important 
market town. Columbus (7,401), on the Chattahoochee, is both a 
market and a manufacturing town. 

FLORIDA. 

Area, 59,268 square miles. Population, 187,751. 

Florida, forming the southeast of the United States, is peculiar 
in physical character. The northern part is like the adjoining por- 
tions of Georgia and Alabama, but the rest of the State is a penin- 
sula about ninety miles wide, level, sandy, but well watered, with 
a long coast line. The extreme south, about one hundred and sixty 
miles long by sixty miles broad, is covered by a shallow sheet of 
water, dotted with thousands of little islands, and called the Ever- 
glades. South of the mainland, a series of sand- banks or islands 
form what are styled the Keys. On one side of the State is the 
Apalachicola River, flowing southward ; on the other, the St. John's, 
flowing northward. 

Florida lands are divided into pine, covered with wood ; hum- 
mock, bearing a growth of underbrush ; and SAvamp. Most of the 
soil repays cultivation. Far the greater part of the State is forest. 

Corn and cotton are the leading crops. In the southern parts 
sugar-cane is successfully grown ; 25,000 to 35,000 canes on one 
acre of fair land. Tropical and many northern fruits grow in abun- 
dance. 

Manufactures and commerce are both confined almost exclusively 
to lumber. There is an increasing coasting trade in garden products. 

The Florida, Atlantic, and Gulf Central Railroad extends across 
the northern half of the State from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, 
whence a branch runs south to St. Mark's, on the Gulf coast. The 
Florida road crosses diagonally from Fernandina, on the northeast, 
to Cedar Keys, on the Gulf coast. 

The State debt is about $578,000. 

Every male citizen, resident in the State one year and in the 
county six months, is entitled to vote. An educational qualifica- 
tion is to be added after 1880, which shall not, however, apply to 
those who have previously voted. 

There are no charitable institutions. 

None of the towns are large, Pensacola (3,347), and Key West 
(5,016), being the most considerable. Tallahassee (2,023) is the 
capital. . 



76 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

The general government still holds 18,000,000 acres of land in 
Florida. The State has 6,000,000 acres open to purchase, at from 
$1.25 to $5.00 per acre. 

A Commissioner of Immigration has been appointed by the State. 
He publishes a manual concerning Florida, and the inducements 
which it offers to those seeking new homes. 

ALABAMA. 

Area, 50,722 square miles. Population, 996,988. 

Alabama, like Georgia, has its upper and lower divisions, the 
former less mountainous, the latter less swampy, perhaps ; but other- 
wise much the same. It is also divided, according to its productions, 
into sections called Timber, Cotton, and Stock. The first, or south- 
ern (11,000 square miles), is covered by forests of yellow pine, oak, 
and cyi^ress, with a soil adapted for tillage. The second, or central 
division (11,500 square miles), has a stiff and black soil, generally 
deep and very rich, where cotton grows to great advantage. The 
third, or northern (4,322 square miles), includes the higher lands. 
Water is scarce in the centre, , though the Alabama Kiver flows 
through it. The Tombigbee waters the western, the Tennessee the 
northern borders. 

Cotton is the chief crop, and is larger than in any other State. 
Corn is the great cereal. 

The State possesses a large area of coal fields, beds of iron ore, 
and limestone. 

Manufactures and commerce are in cotton, flour, and lumber. 

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad crosses the northern part ; 
tAvo diagonal lines, one through Selma, the other through Montgom- 
ery, traverse the centre and the south. 

The State debt, November, 1869, was over $8,350,000. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident in the State six 
months, who have sworn to support the Constitution and laws of 
the United States and Alabama, have the right of suffrage. 

The charitable institutions are an Insane Asylum at Tuscaloosa, 
Deaf and Dumb Institution at Talladega, and Blind Asylum at 
Mobile. 

Mobile (32,184), on Mobile Bay, is the chief city of the State, 
and one of the chief cotton markets of the South. Another cotton 
market is Montgomery (10,588), the capital. Selma (6,484) is a 
third cotton market of importance. 

Over 6,500,000 acres of government lands are for sale to settlers, 
many of which are excellent pine lands with good subsoil of clay, 
upon which two bales of cotton per acre have been raised by skil- 
ful culture. There are also large tracts granted to railroads, which 
are to be had cheaply. 

A Bureau of Industrial Resources, at Montgomery, to distribute 
information regarding the industries and resources of the State, is 
practically an Immigrant Board. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 77 

MISSISSIPPI. 
Area, 47,156 square miles. Population, 834,170. 

A belt of table-lands on the eastern side of this State forms the 
water-shed between the Alabama rivers and the Mississippi, which 
forms the western border. The State is generally undulating, some- 
times hilly, except in the south. 

The soil in the south is fit only for grazing, whence the familiar 
name of the Cow Country. The centre and the north, consisting 
of plateaus and prairies, are marked by the best alluvial formation. 
Timber is plentiful. 

The great crop is cotton, and the next corn. 

Two hues of raih-oad run on either side of the table-lands from 
north to south, making New Orleans and Mobile their southern 
termini, and uniting in Tennessee with roads to the Ohio River and 
the north. A single road crosses the heart of the State from east 
to west, extending through the Gulf States generally, and a short 
distance westward into Louisiana. Another road crosses the south. 

The acknowledged State debt is small, but a large debt contracted 
many years ago has been repudiated. 

The State has a Lunatic Asylum and an Asylum for the Blind. 

Natchez, on the Mississippi, and Vicksburg (12,443), on the same 
river, are centres of the cotton business. Jackson (4,234) is the 
capital. 

The government holds nearly 5,000,000 acres of public lands in 
Mississippi. 

LOUISIANA. 

Area, 41,346 square miles. Population, 726,927. 

This State, through which the Mississippi River empties into the 
Gulf of Mexico, and of which much the larger part is watered by 
that great stream, the Red, Sabine, and other rivers, is a singularly 
low region, annually inundated to a great extent, and with a coast 
chiefly one long salt marsh. But the central and main portion of its 
territory is one vast prairie. 

This has a rich and productive soil, with indigenous grasses for the 
sustenance of half Avild cattle. The sandy regions, where pine forests 
stretch far and wide, are capable of being rendered fertile. Even 
the salt marshes can be reclaimed. 

Cotton, sugar, corn, and rice are the special crops. Cattle are 
raised in large numbers upon the Opelousas plains. 

Salt is extensively distributed, and marl is found in certain dis- 
tricts. 

Commerce in the productions of the State employs a very large 
amount of shipping and thousands of hands. 

Two railroads through Mississippi, one northward, the other east- 
ward, connect New Orleans with other points, North and South. 

The State debt, November, 1868, was over $13,000,000. 

Males twenty-one years of age, resident in the State one year, and 
the last ten days thereof in the parish, are entitled to vote. 

An Insane Asylum at Jackson is the only State charitable institu- 
tion. 



78 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

New Orleans (191,322), the capital, on the Mississippi River, from 
which it is protected by a dike, called levee, forty-three miles long, is 
the great cotton market of the country, and exports the larger part of 
the cotton sent abroad. It has many public buildings, both national 
and State, schools, asylums, and hospitals, and a iState University. 
Donaldsonville (1,573), on the Mississippi, has a considerable do- 
mestic trade with the river counties. Baton Rouge (6,498) is the 
first town on the Mississippi above the lowlands. Shreveport (4,607) 
is the principal town of the northwest ; Alexandria, of the central 
part of the State. 

Upwards of 6,000,000 acres of land are owned by the general 
and State governments in Louisiana. 

A l^ureau of Immigration has established in New Orleans an in- 
stitution similar to that at Castle Garden, New York. (See Part 
I.) A report of the commissioners to the General Assembly contains 
information of which immigrants will do well to avail themselves. 

TEXAS. 

Area, 247,356 square miles. Population, 797,500. 

Texas has a Gulf coast of more than 400 miles, and a river fron- 
tier of over 1,000 miles, for half of which distance the streams are 
navigable. It equals in extent the Austrian Empire, and embraces 
mountains, prairies, deserts, and swamps. Along the coast the sur- 
face is level. The interior is a prairie country of great extent. Be- 
yond this are plateaus rising to the Rocky Mountains in the west. 
Here numerous large rivers take their rise, all flowing in a south- 
east direction into the Gulf of Mexico, the largest being the Rio 
Grande, Colorado, and Brazos. The j)rincipal rivers are navigable 
to the centre of the State. 

The soil in the swamp belt on the coast is a black, sandy loam, 
exuberantly fertile in the river bottoms, and producing the best 
cotton ; in the prairie belt, thinner, yet highly productive of corn 
(two crops a year), wheat and the northern cereals ; in the plateau, 
excellent pasture, the " Mesquit " grass growing both winter and 
summer. The eastern part of the State is best timbered. Skirting 
the southern limits of the prairie belt are the Cross Timbers, a large, 
wooded section. 

Agriculture is the principal pursuit, occupying the greater propor- 
tion of the people, and ofiering occupation to an almost unlimited 
number of hands. Cotton is the great staple ; but corn is the chief 
crop of the prairies. Farming goes on every month of the year. 
Stock-raising employs the majority of Texan farmers. 

Iron is found in large quantities, easily developed. There are 
salt springs and lakes in the prairie belt. 

At NcAv Braunfels the German immigrants have lately built a 
large woollen mill, and fitted it with the finest Manchester ma- 
chinery. 

The only railway lines are in the southeastern corner. 
The State debt in 1867 was about $350,000. 

Male citizens, upwards of twenty-one years of age, resident ' one 
year in the State and sixty days in the county or district, are entitled 
to vote. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 79 

The charitable institutions are a Deaf and Dumb Institute, a Blind 
J^ sylum, and a Lunatic Asylum. 

Galveston (13,818), the seaport, San Antonio (12,256), Houston 
(9,382), and Austin, (4,428), the capital, are the largest towns. 

The State owns immense tracts of land, which it disposes of at 
very low prices, in aid of internal improvements and to encourage 
immigration. The western half of the State yet remains in pos- 
session of various Indian tribes. 

The new Constitution establishes a Bureau of Immigration, with a 
Superintendent at its head. 

IV. Western States. 

These are in two groups : the first, of thirteen States, occupying the 
Mississippi valley from Lake Superior to the northern border of the 
Southern States, a territory of the highest agricultural and mineral 
value, and possessing the most ample opportunities of communication 
by lake and river; the other, of three States on the Pacific slope, 
much broken by mountains, but rich in fertile soils and productive 
mines, two of them with a long coast line, the third traversed by the 
great railroad line between the East and the West. Both groups are 
naturally devoted to the resources with which nature has endowed 
them ; agriculture and mining being by far the most important pur- 
suits of their inhabitants. 

OHIO. 

Area, 39,064 square miles. Population, 2,662,333. 

Ohio forms a natural portal of the West, Lake Erie leading to it 
on the north, and the Ohio River on the south. It is a rolling 
country, with occasional prairies and a few swamps, divided by a low 
and irregular w^ater-shed, which crosses the centre from east to west. 
Fu'st of the Western States to be occupied after the w^ar of Inde- 
pendence, it is still the first among them in numbers. 

The soil is generally good, particularly so in the river valleys. 

The staples are corn, wheat, hay, and oats. The amount of wool 
grown here is greater than in any other State. The banks of the 
Ohio are dotted with vineyards, giving employment to considerable 
numbers. 

A coal belt extends along the eastern side, and an iron belt 
through the southeast, both very rich. Limestone and other stone 
are abundant ; so is salt. 

The principal manufactures are of iron and flour. 

The internal commerce is very great, both along the line of the 
Lakes and through the Ohio and Mississippi valley. 

The railroad system comprises not less than thirty-five lines, with 
nearly 3,500 miles of railway. From Cincinnati, in the southwest, 
ten different lines diverge to the west, north, and southeast, and not 
only aflbrd quick and ample transportation to neighboring States, 
but by numerous branches penetrate nearly every county in this 
State. Further north, lour other main lines cross the State from 
east to west. There are nearly 1,000 miles of canal, and two of the 
canals cross from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. 



80 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

The State debt in November, 1869, was upwards of $10,000,000. 

Males twenty-oue years of age, and one year resident in the State, 
are entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions of the State are four Lunatic Asylums 
at Columbus, Newburgh, Dayton, and Athens ; institutions for the 
Deaf and Dumb and Blind at Columbus ; an Asylum for Idiots ; 
and a Reform School at Lancaster. These institutions are under the 
charge of a Board of State Charities. 

Cincinnati (216,239), on the Ohio, is a city of much manufactur- 
ing and commercial importance, its pork trade being peculiarly large, 
and its general activity remarkable. It has the usual number of 
schools and higher institutions, associations, public buildings, chari- 
ties, and a very promising free library. Cleveland (92,846), on 
Lake Erie, is the great lake port, and even has direct communication 
through the Lakes and the St. Lawrence with England. It has 
several ship-yards, numerous copper and iron works, and many 
packing-houses for beef and porL Its schools and colleges, charita- 
ble and public institutions, including a free library, are well sus- 
tained. Columbus (33,745) is the capital. Dayton (32,579) is a 
large manufacturing city. Toledo (28,546), on Lake Erie, has a 
very considerable trade in grain. 

Ohio has attracted a very large immigration in time past ; and 
there is no reason why the attraction should not long continue. 
Naturally productive, and occupied by one of the most active and 
prosperous communities in the Union, with settled habits and well- 
developed resources, it is particularly inviting to immigrants pos- 
sessed of some capital, and desirous of avoiding the exposures of 
the frontier. 

INDIANA. 

Area, 33,809 square miles. Population, 1,673,941. 

The formation of Indiana is for the most part that of an undulating 
table land, in some places covered with timber. It is watered 
chiefly by the Wabash and its tributaries, and on the southern bor- 
der by the Ohio. 

The soil is nearly all suitable for cultivation or pasture. 

The principal crops are corn, hay, and wheat. Live stock is 
raised in very large amounts. 

The coal field in the west, embracing about one fifth the entire 
area, contains seams five to eight feet in thickness, of cannel and 
bituminous coal. The White River stone is extensively used through- 
out the western cities. 

Manufactures are chiefly of flour and lumber. 

The Wabash and Erie Canal, with a length in the State of 379 
miles, connects the Ohio with Lake Erie. There are over 2,600 
miles of railroads. At least six principal lines, with eastern and 
western connections, cross the State in one direction, while nearly as 
many cross it in another, connecting at Louisville with the southern 
roads, and at various points with the northern. 

The State debt, January, 1871, was about $4,000,000. 

Males twenty-one years o]d, and resident in the State six months, 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 81 

are entitled to vote, but a year's residence in the country is required 
of" foreign-born persons. 

The State charitable institutions are, one for the Deaf and Dumb, 
another for the Blind, and another for the Insane, all at Indianapo- 
lis. 

Indianapolis (36,565), the capital, is one of the most important 
railroad centres in the country. A large number of lines radiate 
from it, and these, together with the manufactories of the city, must 
constantly demand fresh supplies of labor. Evansville (22,830), 
Fort Wayne (17,758), Terre Haute (16,103), New Albany (14,273), 
and Lafayette (13,506), are all manufacturing towns. 

Indiana has not equalled either Ohio or Illinois in numerical 
growth. But it is a State where the immigrant will find favorable 
opportunities of establishing himself either as a land-holder or as a 
laborer. Much immigration has already been directed thither. 

ILLINOIS. 

Area, 55,600 square miles. Population, 2,539,638. 

A country of river borders is the first aspect of Illinois, three fourths 
of its boundaries being formed by the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi. 
Within flow the Illinois, Kaskaskia, and other streams, throucrh broad 
and level prairies. 

The soil is a rich, black loam, congenial to all the cereals. 

In the production of breadstuifs, Illinois stands first amono«- the 
States. Corn, wheat, and hay are the leading crops. It is the great 
cattle State of the Union, its fertile prairies being well adapted for 
raising stock of all kinds. Fruit-growing is one of the chief occupa- 
tions of southern Illinois. 

Coal is found in almost every county, and upwards of four hundred 
mines are in operation. A large portion of the great lead region of 
the Mississippi lies in the northwest. There are probably few 
mining districts of the same extent which have produced so much 
in proportion to the capital invested. Lead is often found upon 
farming lands, and many of the miners are owners of farms. Copper, 
iron, zinc, marble, and freestone are found in various localities. 

Manufactures are chiefly of grain and lumber. 

There are upwards of three thousand miles of railroad in operation. 
The Illinois Central, starting from Cairo, in the extreme south, ex- 
tends four hundred and fifty-six mile^ to Dunleith, in the extreme 
northwest, .and by a branch, two hundred and fifty-three miles, to 
Chicago, in the northeast. Eight lines and more cross the State from 
east to west, with connections on both sides. A canal, connectino- 
Lake Michigan with the Illinois River, opens communication between 
all the Lakes and the Mississippi. 

The State debt, November, 1870, was less than $2,000,000. The 
new Constitution provides that no debt exceeding $250,000 shall 
be contracted, except in certain contingencies, and then under ratifi- 
cation by popular vote. This Constitution, which the people of the 
State have recently ratified, contains many important jjolitical prin- 
ciples not hitherto embodied in State constitutions. 

Male citizens, upwards of twenty-one years of acre, resident one 
6 



82 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

year in the State, ninety days in the county, and thirty days in the 
district, are qualified voters. 

Tlie charitable institutions of the State are a Hospital for the In- 
sane, and Schools for the Deaf and Dumb, Blind, and Imbeciles, all 
of which are under the supervision of a Board of Public Charities. 

Chicago, on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan (298,983), 
the fifth city of the Union in population, and the commercial metrop- 
olis of the Northwest, has an immense trade in grain, provisions, 
and lumber. Its growth has been remarkable, even as compared 
with that of other Western cities, and its public works and private 
industrial establishments are all on a large scale. Its schools and 
charities are liberally supported. Peoria (25,787) is a busy city. 
Bloomington (14,590) is a place of large trade, and employs many 
mechanics in its machine-shops and foundries. Springfield (17,865), 
the capital, is in the heart of a great agricultural district. Galena 
-(7,019) is the emporium of the lead region; La Salle (2,500) of 
the coal region. 

Illinois has large tracts never yet under the plough. Some swamp 
lands are still in possession of the government, and can be purchased 
at the Land Office. Many desirable estates are offered at moderate 
rates by private owners. 

The Illinois Central Raihoad Company is now oflTering 500,000 
acres at from $5 to $12 an acre, according to quality and location ; 
one fourth the purchase money to be paid in cash, and the remainder, 
in three equal yearly payments, with six per cent, interest added ; or, 
if payment is made in full at the time of purchase, a deduction of ten 
per cent, is made to the purchaser. The farms are sold in tracts of 
fifty or eighty acres, suited to the settler with limited capital, or in 
larger tracts when such are required by persons with means engaged 
in the business of stock-raising ; but in no instance is it disposed of to 
speculators, the chief object of the Company being to place working 
farmers upon the land. The principal office of the Company is in 
Chicago, where full particulars can at any time be obtained. 

KENTUCKY. 

Area, 37,G80 square miles. Population, 1,321,001. 

Nearly all the important streams rise in the southeast, an elevated 
table-land formed by spurs of the Cumberland Mountains, from which 
the descent is northward and tvestward to the Ohio and the Missis- 
sippi. One district, around Lexington, is called the ^lue Grass 
Country; another, along Green River, the Barrens, not because 
sterile, but because lightly wooded. Timber abounds in other parts, 
and all parts are well watered, the Tennessee and the Cumberland 
being the principal rivers of the interior. 

The soil varies according to elevation, but is everyAvhere favorable 
to production. 

The great crops are corn, wheat, and tobacco, and more hemp is 
raised than in any other State. Mule and horned cattle are exten- 
sively raised, the export value of stock in many counties exceeding 
even that of the cut crops. 

The minerals are iron, lead, and coal. The latter exists in enor- 
mous quantities. Nitre is abundant. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 83 

The manufactures are principally those of flour and lumber. 

The chief railroad line is from Cincinnati, through Louisville to 
Bowling Green, where it diverges into two lines of communication 
with the South. 

The State debt, October, 18G8, Avas upwards of $3,000,000, about, 
covered by assets. 

Male citizens, resident tAvo years in the State, one A'ear in the 
county, and sixty days in the precinct, are entitled to A-ote. 

The charitable institutions arc an Institution for Deaf Mutes at 
Danville, one for Feeble-minded Children at Frankfort, Lunatic 
Asylums at Lexington and Hopkinsville, and a Blind Institute at 
Louisville. 

Louisville (100,753), the principal city, has much commercial and 
manufacturing activity. Tobacco factories are the most numerous, 
and here is the great tobacco market of the country. Lexington is in 
the heart of the agricultural region. 

Large tracts of land held by the counties, among Avhich it was por- 
tioned out by the State, are still open to purchasers. In the eastern 
or upland district, masses of five hundred acres, Avell adapted for 
agricultural improvement, and situated in one of the healthiest 
regions of the country, Avhere immigrants, if settling together, might 
easily form themselves into prosperous communities, may be had for 
ninety-five cents an acre. 

TEXNESSEE. 

Area, 45,600 square miles. Population, 1,258,288. 

Tennessee has three geographical divisions, called East, Middle, 
and West Tennessee. The first is mountainous, the second elevated 
and rolling, the third flat and prairie-like. The first, and adjoining 
part of the second, elevated one thousand feet, on an average, above 
the rest, are northern in physical character ; the rest of the State is 
southern. The Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, both navigable, 
traverse the State. 

The soil is almost everywhere good, adapted in the east to grasses, 
in the centre and Avest to cotton and the cereals, corn being the 
largest crop. 

East Tennessee is a rich mineral district, containing iron, copper, 
zinc, nitre, and large coal fields. A marble much used throughout 
the country for decorative purposes is ^^uarried in several counties. 

Flour and saAV mills are the chief manufactories. 

A railroad runs through East Tennessee, Avhich has unbroken con- 
nection Avith Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and the Avhole SoutliAvest. 
Middle Tennessee is crossed by tAvo lines, and Western also by two, 
one of A\diich forms part of the conuuunication betAveen the Gulf of 
Mexico and the NortliAvestern States. The eastern and Avestern part 
of the State are connected by a railroad from Cleveland to Memphis. 

The State debt in July, 1869, Avas nearly $40,000,000. 

Males upAvards of tAventy-one years old, six months resident in the 
county, are entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, at Knox- 
ville, and an Insane Hospital and Blind Institute, at Nashville. 



84 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Memphis (40,226) is the principal city of West Tennessee, Nash- 
ville (25,872), the capital, of Middle Tennessee, and Knoxville (8,682) 
of East Tennessee. 

A Commissioner, acting under a Board of Immigration for the 
State, has prepared a Handbook and Immigrant's Guide describing 
Tennessee. An account of East Tennessee has been published by the 
Knoxville Industrial Association. 

ARKANSAS. 

Area, 52,198 square miles. Population, 483,179. 

This is a nearly square tract, divided diagonally by the Arkansas 
River. From lands so low as to be submerged for the most part, to 
prairies and the Ozark Mountains, there is every variety of surface, 
penetrated by very numerous streams, and dotted with bayous, half 
lakes, half swamps. 

The soil of the lowlands is rich, but needing drainage ; that of the 
uplands is well adapted for cotton and the cereals, besides being the 
best of pasture. Timber of all kinds is abundant. 

Cotton, corn, and other grains yield large returns. Stock-raising 
is also easy and remunerative. 

Arkansas is emphatically a mineral State. The gypsum deposits 
are larger than those of all the other States combined, and the prod- 
uct of zinc is greater than that of any other save one. Many other 
minerals, coal included, are found in great quantity. The largest oil- 
stone quarry in the world exists at Hot Springs, and at the same 
place are numerous mineral springs. 

A railroad connects Little Rock, in the centre, with Memphis, in 
Tennessee. 

The State debt, January, 1870, was $4,430,000. 

Males twenty-one years of age, resident in the State six months, 
have the right to vote. 

Little Rock (12,380) is the capital and chief city. It is called 
the " Flower City " from the numerous flowering trees and plants in 
its streets. 

The State owns 2,000,000 acres of land, which it sells to settlers at 
seventy-five cents per acre for all within six miles of a navigable 
stream, and fifty cents if beyond that distance. There are 500,000 
acres of selected land scattered all over the State, subject to entry at 
$1.25 per acre, on a credit of one, two, three, four, and five years, with 
interest at six per cent. The general government still holds 
upwards of 11,000,000 acres in Arkansas. 

A Comnnssioner of Immigration and State Lands has issued a 
pamphlet on the Natural Resources of the State, of which he will fur- 
nish copies upon application at Little Rock. 

MISSOURI. 
Area, 65,350 square miles. Population, 1,717,258. 

The Missouri River, crossing the State from west to east, divides it 
into two unequal and physically different parts. That to the north is 
mostly a rolling prairie, that to the south a broken country, with 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 85 

uplands and hill ranges; the former being an agricultural, the latter 
a mineral region. Both are well watered and well timbered. 

The soil varies according to the above formation. Richest in the 
river bottoms, it is still rich on the prairie levels ; and though lighter 
on the higher lands, is even there well suited for the cultivation of 
the grape, as well as for grazing purposes. 

Stock, especially sheep raising is one of the great agricultural in- 
terests. The chief staple is corn ; and hemp is more largely produced 
than in any other State but one. Almost every growth of temperate 
climates can be cultivated north of the Missouri. 

Southward extend great mineral deposits. Iron Mountain and 
Pilot Knob, within six miles of each other, are two solid masses of 
iron ore. Lead mines have long been worked without signs of ex- 
haustion. Zinc and copper are also abundant. The northern part 
of the State has no other mineral in large supply except coal, and 
that is of inferior quality. 

Manufactures are chiefly of iron, flour, and lumber. In 1870 
eleven furnaces for smelting iron ore were in operation. The 
product of pig-iron in the same year was nearly 55,000 tons. 

By means of the Mississippi and its branches, the State has the 
advantage of communication with thousands of miles of territory 
north, east, and south, and with the Gulf of Mexico ; and on the 
Missouri, steamers can ascend to the Rocky Mountains. 

The Pacific Railroad of Missouri, connecting at St. Louis with 
direct lines eastward, runs westward 281 miles to Kansas City, 
where it connects with the Kansas Pacific road. St. Louis and 
Kansas City are also connected by the North Missouri road, 272 
miles. Another line runs from St. Louis soutliAvardly to Belmont, 
on the Mississippi, 206 miles. Part of the Southern Pacific road has 
been completed from Franklin to Springfield, 204 miles. The 
Hannibal and St. Joseph road, with direct eastern connections at 
the former place, runs westwardly 206 miles, and connects at the 
latter place with northern, western, and southern lines. 

The State debt, January 1st, 1869, amounted to $16,084,000. 

Males t\v enty-one years old, resident one year in the State and six 
months in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The principal charitable establishments are an Institution for the 
Education of the Blind at St. Louis, an Asylum for the Deaf and 
Dumb, and one for the Insane at Fulton. 

The principal city, and the fourth in the United States, is St. Louis 
(310,864), on the Mississippi, twenty miles below the mouth of the 
Missouri, which has a very extensive connnerce in all the staples of 
the surrounding region. It contains many public and private schools 
and colleges, a public library, and numerous benevolent and charita- 
ble institutions and societies. Kansas City (32,260), St. Joseph 
(19,565), and Hannibal (8,849) have been mentioned above as rail- 
road centres. Jeiferson (4,420) is the capital. 

The United States (Government possesses upwards of 1,000,000 
acres of public lands in Missouri. The State and railroad corpora- 
tions also own large tracts. 



86 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

MICHIGAN. 

Area, 56,451 square miles. Population, 1,184,296. 

Michigan consists of two peninsulas. The southern and larger is 
nearly surrounded by the waters of Lakes Michigan and Huron ; an 
irregular ridge in the centre forming a water-s4ied east and west. 
Natural parks, called oak openings, are scattered over the country. 
Almost the whole of the northern peninsula, which lies between 
Lakes Michigan and Superior, is forest ; a rugged, and in part even 
mountainous region, as different from the other part of the State as 
if far more widely separated from it. 

The soil of the northern peninsula is generally thin and sterile, 
while that of the southern is for the most part a fertile sandy loam. 

The great crop is wheat. Next come hay, corn, oats, potatoes, and 
buckwheat. The wool clip is very large ; so is the quantity of pork 
and other provisions. It is lumber, however, which rises to the 
highest figures, the amount cut during 1869 being over 2,000,000,000 
feet. Fruits of all kinds grow well in the south. 

Northern Michigan contains the most valuable deposits of iron 
and copper. The product of the former is second only to that in 
Pennsylvania ; of the latter far greater than in any other State. 
Southern Michigan produces salt, gypsum, and bituminous coal in 
large quantities. 

Manufactures of the agricultural and mineral j^roducts just men- 
tioned are very considerable. 

Commerce is extensive ; the lake shore being upwards of 1,400 
miles, and the facilities for navigation almost unbounded. 

The Michigan Central Railroad runs from Detroit to the south- 
west corner. Lines from Toledo, on Lake Erie, as well as Detroit, 
cross to Grand Haven, on Lake Michigan, opposite Milwaukee, in 
Wisconsin. The Michigan Southern traverses the country betAveen 
Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. Several lines run northerly about 
half the length of the peninsula. The northern peninsula is crossed 
by a line connecting the shores of Lakes Superior and Michigan. 

The State debt amounted in November, 1870, to $2,385,000. 

Males twenty-one years of age, citizens, or intending to become 
such, resident two years and six months in the State, and ten days 
preceding the election in the township or ward, are entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are an Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb, and 
Blind, at Flint, and one for the Insane at Kalamazoo. 

Detroit (79,580), on the Detroit River, the largest city, has many 
lines of steamers communicating with diiferent points on the Great 
Lakes, and contains numerous manufacturing establishments, such as 
locomotive works, machine-shops, copper works, and saw-mills. It 
has a public library of 15,000 volumes. Grand Rapids (16,507), on 
Grand River, is one of the most thriving trading and manufacturing 
towns. Ann Arbor (7,363), also with large manufactories, is the 
seat of the State University, which takes the lead of the higher 
institutions of learning in the Western States. Lansing (5,241) is 
the capital. 

The United States government still holds about 4,000,000 acres 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 87 

of land open to settlement. In addition to these, large tracts are 
offered by railroad corporations. 

The State has two agents in Europe to stimulate immigration 
hither. 

WISCONSIN. 

Area, 5'3,924 square miles. Population, 1,055,167. 

A broad undulating plain is the simplest description to be given of 
Wisconsin. Along the northeastern shore and on the western 
border, mounds or bluffs of considerable elevation occur. Next to the 
Mississippi, the principal river is the Wisconsin, but other rivers of 
various lengths cross the country in all directions. Many small 
lakes are scattered here and there, and Lake W^innebago covers an 
area of more than 200 square miles. 

The soil is well adapted in the south to tillage, and in the north to 
pasture, these two divisions being separated by a sandy belt. Many 
parts of the State are densely timbered. 

The wheat crop is much the largest, being followed by hay, corn, 
oats, potatoes, and hops. 

Wisconsin shares in the mineral resources of its neighbors, lead 
and iron being mined in the south, and other deposits in the north. 
Zinc is obtained more plentifully than in any other State. 

Manufactures are chiefly in lumber and grain. 

CouMuerce, both on the river and lake sides, is considerable. 

The principal railroad is the Milwaukee and St. Paul, Avith one 
branch running from Milwaukee westerly to Prairie du Chien, on the 
Mississippi ; another from Mihvaukee northwesterly to La Crosse, 
also on the ISIississippi ; and several other branches. The Chicago 
and Northwestern Railroad has several lines running northerly, one 
of which terminates at Green Bay. 

The State debt in October, 1870, was $2,250,000. 

Male persons twenty-one years old, and resident in the State one 
year, are entitled to vote, a written declaration of intended citizen- 
ship being required from foreigners. 

The charitable institutions are a Hospital for the Insane and a 
Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Madison, an institution for the educa- 
tion of the Deaf and Dumb at Delavan, and one for the education of 
the Blind at Janesville. These institutions are open to citizens of the 
State, free of expense. 

Milwaukee (71,499), the most important city of the State, and after 
Chicago of the Northwest, has a large manufacturing and mercantile 
business. Its flour-mills are capable of manufacturing thousands of 
barrels of flour a day. It is one of the principal lake ports, and ships 
an immense amount of flour, grain, provisions and live stock. It con- 
tains the usual number of schools "and charities. Fond du Lac 
(12,764), Oshkosh (12,663), Madison (9,176), the capital, Racine 
(9,880), and Janesville (8,791), are all towns giving employment to 
various industries. 

The United States government still owns upAvards of 8,600,000 
acres, the State and railroads holding large additional tracts. State 
lands may be had at seventy-five cents an acre, and only one foui'th 
need be paid in cash. 



88 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

There is a State Board of Immigration at Madison, composed of 
the Governor, Secretary of State, and six associates, which has pub- 
lished in several languages, for free distribution, a pamphlet of " sta- 
tistics exhibiting the history, climate, and productions " of the State. 

IOWA. 

Area, 55,045 square miles. Population, 1,191,720. 

The surface of Iowa is generally undulating, about three fourths 
being prairie. Rivers and smaller streams are numerous ; the prin- 
cipal, besides the Mississippi and Missouri, on the eastern and west- 
ern borders, are the Des Moines and Iowa. In the northwest are 
numerous ponds. There is but little timber, and this mostly along 
the water-courses. 

The soil, especially of the southern part, is rich. Earth excavated 
one hundred feet below the surface of the bluff formation, near 
the Missouri, will produce luxuriant vegetation. The river bottoms 
or valleys are usually high and dry enough for farming purposes, 
and are then very productive. Large beds of peat exist in the 
north. 

The principal staples are corn, wheat, oats, and hay. The native 
grasses make more than half the hay crop. Much attention is de- 
voted to grazing, Avool-growing, and dairy products. Fruits grow 
well. 

Much the largest mineral product thus far has been coal, beds of 
which are found along the Des Moines and its tributaries, over an 
area of 25,000 square miles. From four to six million pounds of lead 
ore have been annually smelted from deposits confined to a belt of 
four or five miles in width, along the Mississippi, above and below 
the city of Dubuque. Large zinc fields also border upon the same 
river. 

Four railroads cross the State from east to west : the Dubuque, 
Iowa Falls, and Sioux City, 329 miles ; the Chicago and North- 
western, from Clinton to Council Bluffs, 350 miles ; the Chicago, 
Rock Island, and Pacific, from Davenport to Council Bluffs, 310 
miles; and the Burlington and Missouri River, from Burlington 
to Council Bluffs, 291 miles. All these connect, on the" Mississippi, 
with railroad communications east and south, and on the Missouri 
with the Union Pacific Railroad to California. 

The State is out of debt, and has a surplus in the treasury. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident six months in the 
State and sixty days in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are a Deaf and Dumb Asylum at 
Council Bluffs, an institution for the education of the Blind at Vin- 
ton, and a Hospital for the Insane at Mount Pleasant. Another 
Hospital for the Insane is to be provided at Independence. There is 
a Reform School in Lee County, and there are Homes for Soldiers' 
Orphans at Davenport, Glcnwood, and Cedar Falls. 

Iowa has many important towns, of which the largest is Davenport 
(20,042) . Dubuque (1 8,404) is the centre of the lead district. Others 
are Burlington (14,932), Des Moines (12,035), the capital, and Mus- 
catine (6,718). 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 89 

The United States government still holds upwards of 1,900,000 
acres of land in Iowa. Grants have been made at various times by 
the general government to the State, for schools, railroads, river 
improvements, also saline and swamp lands, amounting in all to over 
10,000,000 acres. A considerable part of this is now for sale, at 
various prices. 

A large amount of land is held by various railroad corporations, of 
which a full description follows. 

The Iowa Railroad Land Company, the Iowa Falls and Sioux City 
llailroad Company, and the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad Com- 
pany, all having their offices under the same management, at Cedar 
Rapids, have nearly 2,000,000 acres of land for sale, nearly half of 
which, or 900,000 acres, are situated in the counties through the 
centre of the State, from the Mississippi to the Missouri River, along 
the line of the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad; 256,700 
acres are located in the western part, on or near the Sioux City and 
Pacific Railroad, and along the Missouri River ; 100,000 acres in 
Eastern Nebraska ; and 700,000 acres in Western Iowa, belonging to 
the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad. These companies are 
especially desirous of disposing of these lands to actual settlers, 
rather than to speculators ; and in furtherance of this desire have set 
apart certain tracts of land of average good quality to be sold to 
settlers only at the rate of $3 per acre. The companies can also 
supply colonists with unbroken bodies of land, embracing from 5,000 
to 20,000 acres. 

Terms of Sale. — These lands are offered for sale on time, or for 
cash, to suit purchasers. The companies have adopted three modes of 
selling their lands, namely, for cash, on short time, and on long time. 
On short time the purchaser pays one quarter each, the balance in 
one, two, and three annual payments, at six per cent, per annum in- 
terest, payable annually in advance. A purchaser's account would 
stand as follows, supposing he contracted for forty acres of land at $5 
per acre, on January 1st, 1870, on the short time plan : — 



Jan. 1, 1870, cash payment, $50 ; 


int. on balance, $9. 


Total, $59.00 


" "1871, interest pay % 6; 


principal p'ay't, 50. 


56.00 


" " 1872, " " 3; 


" 50. 


" 53.00 


« " 1873, 


" " 50. 


50.00 



$218.00 

On the cash plan the companies deduct ten per cent, from the 
regular price, and require the whole amount paid down. Thus the 
above land could be bought for $180, cash. 

On the long time plan the purchaser pays two years' interest on 
the purchase money, at ten per cent, per annum, at the time of pur- 
chase, and nothing more until the end of two years, when he pays 
one quarter of the principal, and the balance in one, tAvo, and three 
years, at ten per cent, per annum interest, payable annually in ad- 
vance. A purchaser's account on the long time plan would stand as 
follows, supposing he contracted for forty acres, at $5 per acre, 
January 1, 1870 : — 



90 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Jan, 1, 1870, interest pay't, $40. Total, $40.00 

" " 1872, " " 15 ; principal pay't, $50. " 65.00 

" " 1873, " " 10; " " 50. " 60.00 

■ " " 1874, " " 5; " " 50. " 55.00 

" " 1875, « " 50. " 50.00 



$270.00 

No more than 160 acres are sold to any one person on this plan, 
and that to actual settlers only. The companies oifer, on short time 
only, nine forty-acre tracts, in each of ten townships, for $3 per acre. 
These are as good lands as any. the companies have, but are located 12 
to 25 miles from any railroad, and are offered at these low figures to 
induce immediate settlement. Ten per cent, interest is charged in- 
stead of six, the purchaser agreeing to settle upon the land within six 
months from date of purchase, and to improve it within three years. 
Not more than 40 acres wall be sold to any one person at this price. 

The lands offered by the companies vary in price from $3 to $12 
per acre. At the latter price persons can secm-e very choice loca- 
tions, within two to four miles of important stations. A few tracts 
nearer stations are held at higher figures. Farther from the stations, 
and from 6 to 20 miles fr^ 
from $5 to $10 per acre. 

The price of timber land varies, according to location and quality, 
from $15 to $40 per acre. 

Cedar Rapids, the eastern terminus of the Cedar Rapids and Mis- 
souri River Railroad, is 219 miles west of Chicago, with wdiich it has 
direct connection by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, and 271 
miles east of Omaha, Nebraska. It has an extensive water-power, 
and will soon be the centre of six different raih-oads. The popula- 
tion numbers 7,000, and there are one hundred stores, three banks, 
nine churches, four school-houses, a seminary building, and three 
newspapers, one of which is printed in the Bohemian language. 

The most important towns along the Cedar Rapids and Missouri 
River Railroad are Blairstown, Belle Plaiue, Tama City, Marshall, 
State Centre, Nevada, Boone, and Jefferson, which have a popula- 
tion of from 800 to 1,500 each. Boone has 3,000. Besides these 
there are many other rapidly growing towns, wdiich number fi:'om 
300 to 500 inhabitants each. Almost every town has its grain 
elevators and lumber yards. Farming, though the principal, is by 
no means the only industry. Cedar Rapids has woollen, paper, and 
saw mills and various manufactories. Extensive beds of " Iowa 
marble " are quarried between Tama City and Marshall ; and near 
Boone are several large coal-mines, and an abundance of timber. 

The lands of the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad are located in 
the vast valley of the Missouri River, this portion of which is ex- 
ceedingly fertile. It is especially adapted to stock-raising. The 
price of the company's land in this district ranges fi'om $5 to $10 
per acre. The 100,000 acres in Eastern Nebraska are very fine 
lands. 

Full information in regard to the location, terms, and prices of 
lands can be obtained by application, either in person or by letter, 
to W. W. Walker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 91 

The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company in Iowa 
and Nebraska received a land grant of about two millions of acres 
from Congress, in aid of their construction of a railway from Burling- 
ton, on the Mississippi River, through Southern Iowa, across the Mis- 
souri to Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska, and 140 miles farther to a 
junction with the great Union Pacific road near Fort Kearney. The 
company opened this road from the Mississippi to the Missouri last 
winter, and is now running trains beyond the latter river to the cap- 
ital of Nebraska. It accordingly obtained the title to its lands from 
the United States, and, last April, put about 700,000 acres into mar- 
ket. Four hundred thousand acres of these are in Iowa, and chiefly 
in the southwestern corner of that State. Of the four hundred thou- 
sand, 100,000 are in Montgomery County, and 200,000 more in the 
two counties which join it on the east and west (Adams and Mills), 
and in the tliree counties which lie directly south of these three, 
namely, Fremont, Page, and Taylor. The remaining 100,000 are 
scattered through more than a score of counties, all of them having a 
railroad in or near their limits. 

The lands of the company comprise prairie, timbered, and coal 
land. The agricultural capabilities of their soil have not yet been 
fully tested in the six counties where most of the railroad lands lie, 
inasmuch as they are all to this day sparsely settled. But the 
State census of 1868 has nevertheless furnished sufficient facts and 
figures to judge them correctly. In one of the railroad-land counties 
(Montgomery) the yield of sorghum Avas surpassed by only six among 
all the ninety-nine counties in Iowa. The fleeces of wool averaged 3g- 
pounds. In scarcely one of the counties was the average of corn less 
than 30 bushels; in several it was nearly 36. Another railroad county 
(Union) was ecjualled in the average yield of potatoes by only three 
in the State. In one of the six, the average of oats was 31 bushels. 
The yield of wheat in the same county was 1 0^ bushels, and this yield 
was exceptionally small. In another of the six, the average of rye 
was 20 bushels. In still another, the product of barley was 13| 
bushels. In yet another some French colonists settled, seventeen years 
ago, as the best place they could find, when the whole State was 
before them to choose from. 

The six railroad-land counties named had, in 1868, a population of 
34,614, a single one having over 8,000. Persons settling in them will 
not be far' from stores, mills, mechanics, and professional men of all 
kinds, churches, schools, lyceums, and colleges. The nearest railroad 
station will be only forty-eight hours from New York. 

The rolling surface of these lands secures thorough drainage, and 
consequent freedom from the miasma and agues which infest the low 
and level lands of other localities. They are not destitute of timber. 
One eighth of the surface of Fremont County is wooded, and one 
tenth of several others. The price of wood for fuel in Mills County 
is $4 per cord. Coal is also abundant, the mines being accessible to 
all the counties by rail. 

Moreover, these lands are equidistant from St. Louis and from 
Chicago, with railroads completed to both. Their products may be 
sent to market either on couqseting railroads or on competing rivers. 
In the past, their, best market has been to the west and north, rather 



92 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

than east and south. Much grain and stock are still needed in gov- 
ernment posts and mining regions. 

The price of land ranges from $4 to $15 per acre, according to 
quality and local advantages. The cheapest lands are back from the 
railroad, mostly within ten, and none over twenty miles from it ; and 
the more distant land is as good, upon an average, in quality, as that 
nearer, and for stock-raising and wool-growing it is preferable, having 
a wider range for grazing purposes. 

Terms. — Land is sold in lots of forty acres or more, on ten years' 
credit, with six per cgnt. interest. By this plan, a payment of interest 
on the whole amount is required the first two years, and after that an 
annual payment of one ninth of the entire amount, with interest on 
the unpaid balance. Twenty per cent, is deducted fi'om long credit 
price for full payment at date of purchase, and in such cases the land 
bonds of the company are taken at par. If sold on a short credit of 
two years, the price is the same as for cash, that is, twenty per cent, 
less than on long credit, and one third is to be paid down, and the 
balance in two years, with ten per cent, interest. 

Exploring land-buyers' railroad tare is returned or allowed in pay- 
ment- of land, if exploring tickets are bought at their land office in 
Burlington or Plattsmouth, on the Missouri. 

There are local agents at several of the towns along the road, whose 
business it is to show the lands to persons seeking to buy, and with 
whom all matters of purchase may be transacted ; but conveyances and 
payments are finally consummated at the land office at Burlington, 
the eastern terminus of the road. Station agents and conductors on 
the road can furnish the names of the local land-agents to any person 
inquiring. A map of the company's lands accompanies this Hand- 
book. Descriptive circulars and sectional maps will be furnished on 
application to George S. Harris, Land Commissioner, Burlington, 
Iowa. 

The General Assembly of Iowa has recently passed an act to 
establish a Board of Immigration, consisting of the Governor as ex 
officio President, and one commissioner from each congressional dis- 
trict. This Board has issued a pamphlet entitled " loAva ; the Home 
for Immigrants," in which much useful information is to be found. 
The Board announce that " full and free information about condition, 
situation, and prices of land, route of immigrants, expenses of jour- 
ney, etc., will be furnished," on addressing A. R. Fulton, Secretary, 
Des Moines, Iowa. 

MINNESOTA. 

Area, 83,531 square miles. Population, 435,511. 

The central and southern portion of this State is mostly a rolling 
prairie region, with numerous belts of timber. A great number of 
lakes and streams are scattered over it. The northwestern part, 
more elevated, and rising into high bluffs along the Mississippi River, 
has not so many lakes or streams, and is but sparsely timbered. The 
northeastern section, called the Hauteurs ties Terres, or Highlands, is 
covered with hills of sand and drift, clothed Avith dense forests. The 
lakes and streams of pure water are almost innumerable; the lakes 
alone being estimated to be 10,000 in number. Along the north- 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 93 

eastern border lies Lake Superior, and on the north, the Lake of the 
Woods, with a chain of lakes extending over 150 miles. The most 
important rivers are the Mississippi, which rises in Itasca Lake, in 
the north, and its tributary, the Minnesota. Nearly all the streams 
are fringed with woodland, and dense forests often cover the valleys. 
Three fifths of the surface of the State are estimated to be covered 
with timber. 

The soil of the prairie region is warm and productive ; that of the 
more elevated districts is generally unfavorable for farming. 

The State is considered one of the best in the Union for wheat, 
which is its principal cereal. Oats, corn, and potatoes are raised in 
large crops. 

Rich deposits of copper and iron ore, enormous masses of slate, and 
good limestone and sandstone (some of the latter adapted to the man- 
ufacture of flint-glass) have been found. 

The water-power available at the famous Falls of the Mississippi at 
St. Anthony is estimated at 120,000 horse-power, or more than the 
whole motive power employed in textile manufactures in England in 
1850. But little of this power is employed. 

A line of railroad connecting St. Paul with Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
traverses the southeastern part of the State. The Lake Superior and 
Mississippi road runs north from St. Paul to Duluth, at the head of 
Lake Superior. A third line crosses the State to Breckenridge, on 
the western border. The Northern Pacific Railroad, the construction 
of Avhich has already been commenced, will cross the northern central 
portion of the State from Duluth west. 

The State debt in January, 1871, was $285,000. It is limited by 
the Constitution to $350,000. 

Males twenty-one years of age, resident in the State four months, 
and in the district ten days, are entitled to vote. A year's residence 
in the United States and a declaration of intended citizenship are 
required of foreigners. 

The principal charitable establishments are a Reform School, an 
Institution for the Education of the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, at Fari- 
bault, and a Hospital for the Insane, at St. Peter. 

The chief cities and towns are St. Paul (20,031), capital, on the 
Mississippi ; Minneapolis (13,066), also on the Mississippi, near the 
Falls of St. Anthony.; Winona (7,192), St. Anthony (5,013), oppo- 
site Minneapolis, and Duluth (3,131). 

In June, 1869, the State contained public lands still unsold and un- 
appropriated, to the extent of 34,732,000 acres, in prairie and wood- 
land, mainly in the northern and western parts. In addition to this, 
grants of public land amounting to upwards of 11,500,000 acres have 
been made by the general government in aid of schools, railroads, 
etc., much of which is for sale by the State or by corporations, at 
rates varying from the government price to $10 per acre. 

There are six raih'oads having large grant lands in the State, 
namely, 1. The Northern Pacific Railroad, with a total grant of fifty 
millions of acres, of whiclf about 3,000,000 acres lie in the State ; 2. 
The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad, with a grant of 1,632,- 
000 acres, all of which are now in the market ; 3. The St. Paul and 
Pacific Railroad, with a grant of 2,635,000 acres; 4. The Minnesota 



94 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Central, or Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, with a grant of 643,000 
acres ; 5. The Winona and St. Peter Railroad, with a grant of 1,410- 
000 acres ; 6. The Minnesota Valley, or St. Paul and Sioux City 
Railroad, with a grant of 950,000 acres ; 7. The Hastings and Dakota 
Railroad, with a grant of 1,285,000 acres. 

The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad, 154 miles in length, 
connects, as already stated, St. Paul, at the head, of navigation on 
the Mississippi River, with Duluth, at the extreme west end of Lake 
Superior, over a gently rolling country dotted with beautiful lakes 
of pure water, and rich in lumber and minerals. Duluth, from its 
position at the extreme limit of lake navigation westward, as the 
terminus of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad and the 
Northern Pacific Railroad, promises at an early day to be one of the 
most important centres of trade in the Northwest. It has grown 
within the last year from a hamlet of a dozen houses to a thriving 
town of about 3,000 inhabitants, and is increasing with a rapidity 
remarkable even in Minnesota. A line of six steamers runs regu- 
larly from Erie, Cleveland, and Detroit to Duluth. 

Near Duluth, the railroad crosses one of the most extensive and 
remarkable formations of slate. The beds of this mineral being near 
the water transportation of the Mississippi and the Lakes, it can be 
easily carried to New Orleans on one hand and Buffalo on the other. 
Being the only known and developed deposit of fine slate west of the 
Alleghany Mountains, it must be of incalculable advantage to the 
cities of the Lakes and the great Mississippi valley. Large quarries 
are, now opened, and slate is prepared for shipment. Information 
regarding these deposits can be obtained of Robert H. Lamborn, 
President of Great Western Mining Company, 125 South Fifth 
Street, Philadelphia. 

The 1,632,000 acres of land granted to the company lie in alternate 
sections on each side of and near the line of the road. Large por- 
tions of these are well adapted for the production of wheat, corn, 
oats, and all kinds of roots and other vegetables. They comprise 
also large bodies of natural meadows or grazing lands, and extensive 
tracts of timber, with white and Norway pine, interspersed with oak, 
maple, ash, and other hard wood timber. 

These lands are offered in tracts of forty acres and upwards, at 
prices ranging from four to eight dollar's per acre, and will be sold 
on long credit, if desired. 

Example : 80 acres at $5 per acre, long credit, $400. 

First payment , , , . . 

Second payment .... 

'J'hird payment ..... 

Fourth payment .... 

Fifth payment. ..... 

Sixth payment 

Seventh payment . . . . •. 

Eighth payment .... 

The purchaser has the privilege to pay up in full, at any time he 
desires, thereby saving the payment of interest. 



Principal. 


Interest. 


$8.00 


$27.44 


56.00 


23.52 


56.00 


19.60 


56.00 


15.68 


56.00 


11.76 


56.00 


7.84 


56.00 


3.92 


56.00 





TO THE UNITED STATES. 95 

Any other information will be furnished on application in person, 
or by letter in Englisb, German, Swedish, or French, to William L. 
Banning, President and Land Commissioner, St. Pa.ul, Minnesota. 

The National Land Company of New York is an agent for the 
lands of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad, and applica- 
tions may be made at the Central Office, No. 3 Bowling Green, New 
York, either in person or by letter, where information wdll be given 
as to means of transportation to the land, etc. 

There is a State Board of Immigration, whose duty is to distribute 
information and facilitate immigration. Pamphlets, containing de- 
tailed descriptions of the State in the English, German, and Scandi- 
navian languages, can be obtained free of charge by application to 
the Secretary of State, St. Paul. 

KANSAS. 

Area, 81,318 square miles. Population, 362,872. 

This is nearly the geographical centre of the United States. It is 
a region of terraces and slopes, rising from the Missouri, which forms 
part of the eastern border, and other rivers, of which the Kansas and 
Arkansas are the principal. Timber is found chiefly in the river 
valleys. 

The soil of the terraces next the rivers is alluvial, and extremely 
rich ; that of the slopes and uplands is the average prairie soil. 

Corn, hay, potato, and wheat crops are all prMitic. The produc- 
tion of wheat is said to excel that of any other State east of the 
Rocky Mountains in proportion to the cultivated area. Fruits 
grow to great advantage. Stock-raising is favored by the equable 
temperature and the admirable pasturage, a large part of which is 
open for use without purchase or rent. Any one who plants and cul- 
tivates for three years any forest trees, except black locust, is en- 
titled to an annual bounty of S2 for 25 years thereafter for each 
acre, or for each half mile of grove along any public road so culti- 
vated, and any one who builds a stone wall 4^ feet high, or plants an 
osage, orange, or hawthorn hedge around any field, and cultivates it 
until it is strong enough to resist stock, is entitled to an annual 
bounty of $2 for each 40 rods of such wall or hedge during eight years 
thereafter. 

Coal, limestone, and salt springs constitute the chief mineral re- 
sources. 

The Kansas Pacific Railroad runs through the whole length of the 
State from border to border, 430 miles. Several hundred miles of 
railroad traverse various portions of the eastern section. 

The State debt, December 31st, 1869, was over $1,300,000. 

Males, twenty-one years old, citizens or intending to become such, 
resident six months in the State and thirty days in the district, are 
entitled to vote. 

The charitable institutions are an Asylum for the Blind, at Wyan- 
dotte, and one for the Deaf and Dumb, at Olathe. 

Leavenworth (17,849), on the ISIissouri, is much the most impor- 
tant city. Lawrence (8,332), on the Kansas River, the main depot 
of the Kansas Pacific road ; Topeka (5,790), the capital; an<l Atchi- 



96 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

son (7,054), are all active towns, where various classes of labor, 
particularly building, give constant employment. 

Tlie general government holds over 42,400,000 acres of land in 
Kansas. The State and various railroad corporations own several 
additional millions. An organization entitlecl the '* National Land 
Company," has been formed for the purpose of disposing of the lands 
of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. It has an office in New York and 
agencies in Europe. 

NEBRASKA. 

Area, 75,995 square miles. Population, 123,000. 

Nebraska, like Kansas, has a surface rising westward from the 
Missouri and other rivers, of which the Platte, wide, rapid, and shal- 
low, traverses the State from west to east. 

The river bottoms have the usual exceedingly fertile soil ; and the 
prairies are of various degrees of productiveness. Of 23,000,000 
acres in the west, only that portion along the streams is considered 
fit for cultivation, the remainder being more or less covered with 
nutritious natural grasses, and therefore suitable for grazing. Of 
25,000,000 acres in the east, available for general crops, there are 
13,700,000 acres of first-class land, the most valuable of which is 
along the valley of the Platte, which has a width of eight or ten 
miles, and is irrigated by the annual rise of the river. There are 
3,000,000 acres rated as good, but rough and uneven, and 8,300,000 
acres sandy and subject to drought. 

Corn, wheat, and other cereals are cultivated successfully, and 
stock-raising is an important interest. Farmers are turning their 
attention to the increase of timber by cultivation, as it is naturally 
scarce. 

The mineral resources are limited. Coal is to be had, but in veins 
too thin to afibrd cheap fuel. Good building limestone and granite, 
and clay for bricks are found. There are very rich salt springs in the 
southeast, the product from which contains 98.3 per cent, of salt. 

The Union Pacific Railroad crosses the State from east to west, a , 
distance of 464 miles, forming part of the railroad connection be- 
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific. At Omaha, its eastern terminus, 
it meets several important lines : the Chicago and Northwestern, 
the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific, and the St. Joseph and 
Council Bluffs. At Fremont it connects with the Sioux City and 
Pacific. From Omaha, it runs westerly across the plains and over 
the Rocky Mountains, a distance of 1,032 miles, to Great Salt Lake, 
in Utah, where it connects with the Central Pacific Road, which 
continues 881 miles westward over the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento 
and San Francisco. The grade is nowhere very heavy, the highest 
on any part of the Union Pacific being 90 feet to the mile. The 
rise between Omaha and Cheyenne (about 53 miles beyond the 
western boi'der of Nebraska) is 5,095 feet, and at a station 32 miles 
west of Cheyenne, with a further rise of 2,200 feet, the highest point 
is reached. The tide of travel upon this road has already contributed 
much toward the settlement of the State. 

The State has no debt. 

Males, twenty-one years of age, resident six months in the State, 



oVSOUTHJAgNEBRAs 




FRAIRIE LAJYDS are sold on 10 years credit. 

and only six per cent, per annum is required for first two 
years, and afterwards only one-ninth yearly, with ^^ 
interest on balances till the whole is paid, ^\ 

TIMl^B^ ZAJV^S are sold for Cash, or on 2. 
years credit, with fO per cent, interest, at 20 jT^'x^^/' R Q L K 
per cent, less than on 10 years credit, 

Oitifman 




Railroads completed . 
in jmf(ft'('ss. 
prop'osul. 



\CouncilBhiJ/s 



A!!lRR.R^^''''''^'yi. 



'^y^. 



i/lV ^t 1^1 



•^- 



^''''^*"r4?m^''?^i3 



JOHNSON 









TAT£ LINC 









1+ ^ 18 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 97 

twenty days in the county, and ten days in tlie precinct, are entitled 
to vote. A declaration of intended citizenship is required of for- 
eigners. 

The capital is Lincoln (2,441), principal city, Omaha (16,083), 
on the Missouri. Fremont is a growing town. 

A very small part of the State has yet been settled or improved. 
Tlie United States government still owns nearly 41,000,000 acres of 
land, open for settlement. The State government has also received 
grants from the United States, of over 3,000,000 acres for education 
and internal improvements, a part of which is for sale at low prices. 
The Union Pacific Railroad Company owns altogether about 
12,000,000 acres of land, which were granted to it by the United 
States government to aid the construction of its great i-oad. 
About 2,000,000 acres of these lands, situated in central and south- 
ern Nebraska, are now offered for sale by the company. They are 
located on or near the forty-first parallel of latitude ; are within a 
breadth of 20 miles on either side of the railroad ; they include every 
variety of soil, and abound in fields of coal and other mineral de- 
posits. They extend through the great Platte valley, and in the 
valleys of the Elkhorn, Loup Fork, Papillon, Maple and Shell 
Creeks, Wood River, the Wahoo, and the Big Blue, a region noted 
for its fertility and mild and healthful climate. All the stations of 
the railroad become centres of population, towns and villages spring 
up at convenient points, and grow rajjidly in size and importance, 
while extensive and Avell-cultivated farms and thriving settlements 
are found throughout the entire tract. The Platte valley is noted 
for its dry atmosphere and mild climate. There is sufficient rain 
for useful purposes, but the storms are of short duration, and the 
region is exempt from long and drizzly seasons of wet weather. Nu- 
merous streams intersect the valley on either side of the Platte, some 
afibrding excellent water-pOAver. Springs abound, and when there is 
no water on the surface, it can usually be obtained at a depth of from 
ten to thirty feet. 

The surface of this region is divided into bottom and table lands. 
The soil of the bottom lands is of a rich alluvial character, of great 
depth and fertility, producing fine crops of wheat, corn, oats, barley, 
etc. It resists both unusual wet and continued drought, does not cake 
after rain, and is easily ploughed to any depth required. The table 
lands are rolling, consisting of a series ol divides, upon some of which, 
separating the larger streams, the crests are fiattened out into level 
plains, frequently several miles in area. The soil is similar to that 
of the bottoms, but not so deep. These lands are well adapted to the 
production of the various cereals, fruits, and vegetables, and contain 
indigenous timber. The grazing lands are very superior, and stock- 
raising is largely prosecuted. 

The company sells its lands for cash or on credit, at prices vary- 
ing from S2.50 to $10 per acre. A deduction of ten per cent, from 
the credit price is made to those who purchase for cash. 

Example : Eighty acres at $5 per acre, on credit. The principal, 
one fourth cash down ; balance in one, two, and three years, equal 
payments ; interest at six per cent., in advance. 
7 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 





Principal. 


Interest. 


Total. 


Cash payment . 


. $100.00 


$18.00 


$118.00 


Payment in one year 


100.00 


12.00 


112.00 


" " two years 


. 100.00 


6.00 


lOG.OO 


" " three years . 


100.00 




100.00 



The same land may be purchased for $360 in cash down. The 
Land Grant Bonds of the company, which can be purchased at a 
lar<5e discount, are taken at par in payment of the lands. 

In Douglas County, which lies between the Missouri and Platte 
rivers, and contains a population of 35,000, the company owns 9,000 
acres of land, which are offered at from $6.25 to $10 per acre. The 
soil is rich, deep, and productive, well timbered, and possesses fine 
quarries of excellent building stone. Omaha, the eastern terminus 
of the road, is situated in this county. 

Sarpy County, south of Douglas, and also between the Missouri 
and Platte, is well watered and wooded, has rich soil and good stone 
quarries, and is thickly settled. The railroad crosses it. 5,200 acres 
of the company's lands may be had at $6.25 to $10 per acre. 

Washington County, also on the Missouri, is crossed by the Sioux 
City and Pacific Railroad, which connects with the Union Pacific at 
Fremont, and is well watered and timbered, and in a fair state of 
cultivation. Several thriving towns skirt the railroad. The com- 
pany offers 43,500 acres, at $5 to $10 per acre. 

113,000 acres are offered in Dodge County, north of the Platte, 
which is watered by the Elkhorn and its branches, and by Maple 
Creek, and crossed by both of the railroads mentioned above, at $5 
to S8 per acre. They are well adapted to grain and stock raising. 
Fremont is the county seat. 

Colfax County, west of Dodge, has a similar surface, is crossed by 
the railroad, and contains 107,000 acres of the company's lands, 
held at from $4 to $8. 

Platte County, north of the Platte, has a rolling surface, with rich 
bottom lands along Loup Fork and Platte rivers. The railroad 
crosses it, and has 187,700 acres, at S3 to $8 per acre. Columbus, 
the capital, numbers 800 inhabitants. 

In Merrick County, which has qualities like the above, the com- 
pany's lands, of which there are 131,000 acres, may be had for $3 to 
$5 per acre. Lone Tree, the county seat, is a station on the rail- 
road. 

Hall and Buffalo counties are large, and intersected by numerous 
streams, abounding in fish. The soil is good for the cereals and 
for stock-raising. Both counties crossed by the railroad. The com- 
pany offers 379,000 acres, at $3 to $5 per acre. 

Kearney, Adams, Hamilton, and Polk counties, lying on the south 
side of the Platte River, are fertile, Avell watered, and with sufficient 
timber for fuel. They are easily accessible from stations on the 
Union Pacific Railroad. 487,600 acres are offered to purchasers at 
$2.50 per acre, in four annual payments, with a discount of ten per 
cent, for cash. 

In Clay and York counties, south of the Platte, 45,000 acres of ^ood 
lands can be had for $2.50 to $3 per acre. The surface is chiefly 
undulating prairie. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 99 

In Butler and Saunders counties, whose numerous intersecting 
streams furnish excellent mill-sites, and whose soil is very fertile, the 
company holds 315,000 acres, at from $2.50 to $3 per acre. Good 
ferries along the Platte connect with the railroad. 

Further information, plans, and circulars, showing location and 
prices, will be furnished gratuitously at the office of the Land De- 
partment at Omaha, where " land-exploring tickets " are also issued 
by the company, Avhicli give parties th(^, privilege of stopping at any 
or all of the stations along the road within the limits of the land 
offered for sale, and entitle the holder to a credit of the full amount 
of the ticket, should he purchase one hundred and sixty acres or more, 
or to a credit of one half its amount, should he purchase eighty acres. 

NEVADA. 

Area, 112,090 square miles. Population, 42,491. 

Nevada is a part of the plateau between the Sierra Nevada and 
the Rocky Mountains, about 4,000 feet above the level of the sea, 
traversed by ranges of mountains from 1,000 to 5,0()0 feet higher. 
Most of the streams are lost in the porous soil of the plains. The 
principal river is the Humboldt, which rises in the northeast, and 
after running 300 miles disappears in a lake of the same name, some 
distance west of the centre. Several other rivers also disappear in 
lakes, of which there are many in the west. The Colorado River, 
navigable, forms the boundary between Nevada and Arizona for lb 
miles, thus affording an outlet through the Gulf of California into the 
Pacific Ocean. Timber is scarce, except upon the Sierra. 

Alluvial soil is found here, as elsewhere, along the river bottoms, 
and much of the higher land affords the best sort of pasture. As a 
general rule, artificial irrigation is necessary to a profitable agricul- 
ture. 

Mining, particularly silver, is the chief pursuit. It attracts the 
larger portion of the population, and gives rise to extensive manu- 
facturing industry in the mills required for the reduction of ores. 
The richest deposits of silver are those of the " Comstock lode " in 
the Avest, and the '• White Pine " in the east. Mining is done in 
many cases on individual account, but in the more important in- 
stances by joint-stock companies. The cost of mining and milling is 
so great that low-grade ores do not pay for reduction; consequently 
the business is in almost all cases pi-ecarious. 

The Central Pacific Railroad crosses the State, following for some 
distance the line of the Humboldt River. 

The State debt in January, 1869, was $278,000 in gold. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident six months in the 
State and thirty days in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The capital is Carson City (3,042), near the western border. 

Far the greater portion of the State is open (o settlers. The 
United States still hold 67,000,000 arres within its limits. 

There are several tribes of Indians in eastern Nevada. 



100 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

CALIFORNIA. 

Area, 188,981 square miles. Population, 560,285. 

The marked physical features of California are the two nearly- 
parallel mountain chains, the Coast Range on the west, and the 
Sierra Nevada on the east, the highest peak of the former being 
San Bernardino, 8,500 feet, of the latter, Whitney, about 15,000. A 
narrow and much broken strip of lowland lies between parts of the 
Coast Range and the Pacific shore ; but the greater part of the level 
country within the State limits is the valley between the two ranges, 
watered by the Sacramento in the north, and the San Joaquin in the 
south, both having several tributaries. Lake Tulare, 60 miles long, 
is in the southern part of the valley. Timber grows upon the moun- 
tain sides to a considerable height. 

The mountain slopes provide good pasture, though not from 
grasses. Average lands are sandy, but the valleys are generally 
very fertile. Both the soil and the climate, being comparatively 
dry, favor the grape, the mulberry, and the silk-Avorm. Fruit ami 
stock are the two agricultural products for which the country is 
naturally most adapted. 

The great agricultural staple is Avheat, nearly half the land under 
cultivation being devoted to it. Barley affords a second or " vol- 
unteer " crop without labor, from the seed which falls in harvesting 
the first. Only the wild variety of oats grows to advantage, and 
from this chiefly comes the hay of the region. Gold is found in 
nearly all sections, but principally along the slope of the Sierra 
Nevada. $23,000,000 were produced in 1869. Quicksilver is ob- 
tained from two mines in the Coast Range, which produce nearly 
half the quicksilver mined in the world. Many other mineral de- 
posits exist, those of coal and iron being particularly valuable. The 
State also contains a large variety of mineral springs. Stock is 
raised to great advantage, particularly on the line of the Coast 
Range, and dairy products have become very large. 

Flour and saw mills are prominent among the manufactories. 
Wine is now one of the largest products. It is made in three dis- 
ti-icts : Los Angeles, in the southwest; Sonoma, near San Francisco ; 
and the foot-hills of Sierra Nevada. The product for 1868 was up- 
wards of 2,500,000 gallons of wine, and 250,000 of brandy. 

The chief line of railroad is that of the Central Pacific, from the 
eastern border to Sacramento, and of the Western Pacific, from 
Sacramento to Oakland, opposite San Francisco. Other lines, about 
650 miles in all, run through different districts. 

The State debt, April, 1870, was about $3,500,000. 

Male citizens twenty-one years of age, resident six months in the 
State and thirty days in the county, are entitled to vote. 

The State charities are an Asylum for the Insane, at Stockton, an 
Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, at Oakland, and an In- 
dustrial School at San Francisco. 

San Francisco (149,482), on a peninsula between the bay of the 
same name and the ocean, is much the most important city. Its 
harbor is the safest, best, and most capacious on the Pacific coast. 
It has communication by steamer with Japan, and with Panama and 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 101 

a number of other places on the coast, and by sailing vessels with all 
parts of the world. Exports consist chiefly in metals and breadstnffs. 
This commerce employs large numbers, while still larger find occu- 
pation in various factories, iron, brass, flour, and many besides. A 
Labor Exchange has been in operation for two or three years, and has 
gratuitously obtained, situations for many thousand laborers, mechan- 
ics, etc. The public schools of the city enjoy a high reputation 
among those of the Union. Among the other towns where labor is 
in demand are Sacramento, the capital, San Jose (9,089), and Stock- 
ton (10,066). 

Alone of all the States, California possesses two large tracts, 
granted by Congress as public property. One of these, about 2,500 
acres, contains the Big Tree Grove ; the other, about 36,000 acres, 
is the Yo Semite Valley. The grants were made " upon the express 
condition that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and 
recreation, and shall be inalienable for all time." 

The United States own 100,000,000 acres in the State. Many- 
millions are held by the State and railroads. 

OREGON. 

Area, 95,274 square miles. Population, 90,922. 

Oregon is divided into two districts by the Cascade Mountains, 
a range of great elevation, running north and south. Western Oregon, 
about one third of the State, is the settled part. It is broken up 
'chiefly by a mountain chain near the coast, into various slopes and 
valleys. The Willamette runs through the principal of these valleys. 
Eastern Oregon, subdivided by the Blue Mountains and Avatered by 
various streams, some of which run through deep ravines and caiions, 
contains few settlements. The southern fork of the Columbia River 
flows along the eastern border of the State, and the Columbia it- 
self along the northern. Timber abounds on both uplands and low- 
lands. 

The soil in most of the valleys is rich and productive. That on 
the slopes is usually suitable for fruit-growing and grazing. Grasses 
of fine quality grow without cultivation near the coast and on the 
slopes of the interior. 

The chief results of agriculture are wheat, barley, and vegetables. 
Stock-raising appears to be profitable. 

Gold, coal, and iron are mined in diflerent quarters, leaving vast 
deposits still untouched. ' 

Most of the manufactures and commerce of the State consists in 
lumber. Mills, large and small, are scattered along the coast and 
near the mouths of rivers. Salmon fisheries, in the Columbia, employ 
a good many hands in taking and canning (that is, packing) fish. 

"The State debt in September, 1868, was $176,000. 

Males twenty-one years old, resident six months in the State, are 
entitled to vote. A year's residence in the country and a declaration 
of intended citizenship are required of foreigners. 

The largest towns are Portland (8,293) and Salem (1,135), the 
capital, both on the Willamette. 

The general government still holds over 50,000,000 acres of land in 



102 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Oregon, and a large amount is owned by the State and by railroad 
and other companies. The Indians in Eastern Oregon are some- 
times troublesome. 

A State Board of Immigration, located at Portland, has published 
a description of Oregon. Another account has been issued by a 
State Agricultural Society. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



103 



PART lY. 



TERRITORIES. 

The Territories of the United States are eleven in number, 
namely, — 

In the north ..... Dakota, 

Montana, 
Idaho, 
Washington. 
Wyoming, 
Colorado, 
Utah. 

New Mexico, 
Arizona, 

Indian Territory. 
Alaska. 



In the centre . . 

In the south . . . , 

In the northwest of the continent 



Excluding the last, which is separated from the rest by the inter- 
vening British possessions, these Territories cover that vast region 
of which the Rocky Mountains form the central feature, extending 
from the upper waters of the Missouri and Arkansas rivers to the 
valleys of the Colorado and the Columbia. The whole area is 
1,041,969 square miles, of which the settlement has but begun. Up 
to the present time the larger part of this region is left to scattered 
tribes of Indians. The figures which follow do not include the 
Indian part of the population. 

DAKOTA. 

Area, 150,932 square miles. Population, 14,181. 

Tlie surface consists largely of prairie, comprising elevated table- 
lands in the eastern, middle, and northern portions. Towards the 
west the country rises gradually until it culminates in the Black 
Hills. The Missouri River, navigable throughout, traverses it irom 
the northwest to the southeast corner, and with numerous tributaries 
abundantly waters it. The Red River of the North forms the north- 
ern half of the eastern boundary. The only large lake is the Minne 
Wakan, or Devil's Lake. 

The soil is rich, especially in the river valleys ; coal and other 
mineral deposits are found; so that natural attractions to the Terri- 
tory are by no means wanting. 

Immigration has concentrated itself in the east and southeast, 



104 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Yankton (737) being the capital and principal town. The chief 
pursuits are agricultural and mechanical. 

MONTANA. 

Area, 143,776 square miles. PoiDulation, 20,594. 

This Territory is divided into five great basins, four of which lie 
east of the Rocky Mountains, and one west. These, in turn, are 
subdivided into numerous fertile valleys. The Missouri River, 
navigable to Fort Benton, and its tributaries, water the central and 
northern parts, and the Yellowstone, also navigable, and its affluents, 
water the southern and eastern. The largest lake is Flathead, in the 
northwest. 

The valleys have a fertile soil, especially good for pasturage, while 
the mountainous portions abound in mineral wealth. Copper, lead, 
silver, and goM are found. The inhabitants are occupied chiefly in 
mining and agriculture. 

Virginia City (867) is the capital. 

The Territorial debt at the end of 1869 was over $100,000. 



Area, 86,294 square miles. Population, 14,998. 

Elevated between the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains on 
the west and the Bitter Root and Rocky Mountains on the east, the 
surface of Idaho has an altitude of from 2,000 to 5,000 feet above the 
level of the sea, and is diversified by lofty mountains, high plains or 
table-lands, and fertile valleys, with numerous rivers and streams, 
which water it copiously. Of these last the largest is Lewis's Fork 
of the Columbia, navigable. Clark's Fork, in the north, is also 
navigable. 

Agriculture is carried on in Ihe river valleys, and superior crops of 
grain, fruit, and vegetables are raised. 

Mining is pursued, especially in the southwest, where lodes of gold 
and silver are found to be very rich. 

Boise City (995) is the capital. 

The debt at the end of 1868 was $100,000. 

WASHINGTON. 

Area, 70,000 square miles. Population, 23,901. 

The Cascade Range divides Washington into two parts, eastern 
and western, the former being much the larger. Pu'get Sound, with 
its neighboring waters, equal in shore line to the Mediterranean Sea, 
is the characteristic feature of the western division. At its head is 
Olympia (1,203), the capital, and on its borders are the other 
settlements of chief importance. The valley of the Chehalis, which 
empties into Gray's Harbor on the west, has been called the garden 
of the Territory, but other valleys also possess a highly fertile soil. 
The northern fork of the Columbia winds tlirough the eastern 
division. 

Fisheries of great value, forests containing lumber of the largest 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 105 

dimensions, mines rich in the precious metals and coal, with laroje 
tracts of easily cultivable land, promise occupation and prosperity for 
infinitely greater numbers than have as yet settled in this Territory. 
One hundred and eighty million feet of lumber, twenty million laths 
and shingles, besides a great number of masts, spars, and piles, were 
exported from Puget Sound in 1869. Pitch and rosin of fine quality 
have been produced from the same forests. 

WYOMING. 

Area, 97,883 square miles. Population, 9,118. 

The Rocky Mountains cross this Territory from northwest to 
southeast, and other mountains break up other parts of the surface. 
Vast forests extend over almost the whole country. On the north a 
succession of streams flows towards the Missouri River; on the south 
other groups swell the waters of the Platte and Green rivers. The 
Laramie Plains cover vast deposits of coal, and the mountains sur- 
rounding them are full of iron ore. Precious metals, copper, lead, 
and gypsum, stone for building, and a great variety of mineral 
springs are found almost everywhere. 

Cheyenne (l,GoO), the capital, is at the junction of the Union 
Pacific Railroad, Avliich traverses the southern part, and the Denver 
Pacific, which enters Wyoming from Colorado. 

Mining and the lumber trade bid ^avc to engross the early settlers. 



COLORADO. 

Area. 104,500 square miles. Population, 39, 



706. 



This has been called the American Switzerland ; even its valleys 
lying many thousand feet above the sea. The eastern section, an 
elevated plateau, rises towards the Rocky Mountains in the centre ; 
beyond them, the surface is broken, and so lofty that the whole 
western section is called " the Mountains." Prominent among the 
geographical features of Colorado are the Parks, especially the North, 
Middle, South, and San Luis, which are described as alternately 
forest and meadow, well watered, fertile in soil, and teeming in min- 
eral deposits, gold, silver, and copper being frequently combined in 
one and the same ore. It is difficult to say whether the miner, the 
farmer, or the grazier will be most attracted to this region. The 
cereals are said to yield sometimes 1 00 bushels to the acre ; pota- 
toes weigh five pounds each, turnips nine pounds, and cabbages sixty ; 
while the grasses, both green and dry, give the most nutritious pas- 
ture. 

The Kansas and Denver Pacific roads cross the northeast quarter, 
and at their junction is Denver (4,759), the capital. 



Area, 84,476 square miles. Population, 86,786. 

The Wahsatch range, part of the Rocky Mountain system, forms a 
dividing line from northeast to southwest. The eastern division is 
the larger, and is watered by the Colorado River and its tributaries ; 



106 ' HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

the western contains Great Salt Lake, 50 by 100 miles, and other 
lakes of smaller dimensions. On both sides the valleys are several 
thousand feet above the sea, while the mountains rise several thou- 
sand feet higher. One of the great natural curiosities of the United 
States is the Colorado Caiion, a river-bed 4,000 feet below its exterior, 
and 1 ,000 Ijelow its interior banks, over which waterfalls from many 
smaller streams descend into the river. 

The great agricultural resources are the indigenous grasses, those 
of the lowlands providing a nutritive winter pasture, while those of 
the highlands are a better summer food. Cereals, vegetables, and 
fruits grow abundantly in the valleys, and cotton is raised in the 
southern part. Timber, being found only among the mountains, is 
not easily procured. Coal, iron, and many other metals, building- 
stone, salt, and sulphur are abundant. 

The Union Pacific Railroad crosses the northern border, and on 
or near its line are the principal settlements. Salt Lake City 
(17,353) is the capital. The population consists chiefly of a polyg- 
amous sect called Mormons, against whose advances the immigrant 
is earnestly warned. They are laro-ely engaged in agriculture, and 
to some extent in manufactures. Many of the towns contain a pop- 
ulation of several thousand. 

NEW MEXICO. 

Area, 121,201 square miles. Population, 91,852. 

Several mountain ranges from north to south, large table-lands 
high above the sea-level, and numerous valleys, the principal being 
the valleys of the Rio Grande and Pecos, are the geographical fea- 
tures of this Territory. The lands, both low and high, are clothed 
with natural grasses, the most valuable of which is called the gama, 
one peculiarly adapted to a climate generally dry. All kinds of 
grain and fruit grow abundantly in the valleys, to which, especially 
where well watered, agriculture is limited, and even there dependent 
upon artificial irrigation. Timber abounds among the mountains ; 
gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and coal are found in various quarters. 
Salt lakes supply a very large quantity of salt. 

Santa Fe (4,765), the second town in point of age in the United 
States, is the capital. 

In 18G6 the only free schools were those conducted by Roman 
Catholic Sisters of Charity. Spanish is still the prevailing language. 

In consequence of conflicting claims, the United States lands in 
this Territory have not yet been brought into the market. 

ARIZONA. 

Area, 113,916 square miles. Population, 9,658. 

The remarkable Colorado Canon, beginning in Utah, continues 
through Arizona. Next to the Colorado, the Gila, one of its branches, 
is the longest river. Almost all the river valleys contain a soil pro- 
ductive in cereals and vegetables, and some valleys contain excellent 
timber. This is also found among the mountains, which traverse the 
Territory from northwest to southeast, and contain large deposits of 
the precious metals and many other minerals. 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 107 

Tucson (3,224), the capital, in the valley of the Santa Cruz, is 
an agricultural settlement ; Prescott (668), in the centre, is a min- 
ing town. 

INDIAN TERRITORY. 

Area, 68,991 square miles. 

This tract has been set apart for the Indian tribes, both native to 
the soil, and removed from their former homes in the east. Except 
that the United States courts in the adjoining States take cognizance 
of crimes by which their own citizens may suffer, the government 
leaves the Indians to themselves. 



Ai'ea, 577,390 square miles. Population, about 7,000. 

Separated from the United States by six degrees of latitude is a 
Territory beginning on the south with a coast belt which separates 
British Columbia from the Pacific, and soon expanding into a tract 
of nearly equal length and breadth. It is little known, but is said to 
possess lands suited to agriculture ; deposits of gold, silver, copper, 
iron, and coal ; fisheries, both river and sea, of great variety and pro- 
ductiveness, the salmon being remarkable above all others ; while furs 
are obtained from seals and many other animals. Forests of valuable 
timber stretch from the southern shores far into the interior. Numer- 
ous rivers are navigable for several hundred miles, while the coast 
line, southwest and north, including bays and islands, is described 
as upwards of 11,000 miles. A long chain of islands encompasses 
the Territory. INlountains, of which Mt. St. Eli!ls is supposed to be 
the highest, are among the very loftiest of the continent. 

Sitka (3,900), on the island of Baranof, is the capital. 

The great obstacle to the settlement of Alaska is the severity of 
the climate, which interferes with agricultural, and all other settled 
occupations. 



108 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



PART V. 



THE PUBLIC LANDS. 

A NEW COUNTRY. 

The public lands, more tlian anything else, give the United States 
the character of a new country. Old countries have their national 
or crown domains, but these are never open to settlers, sometimes 
not even to visitors ; and they add little to the common wealth, noth- 
ing to the resources of individuals. Neither in themselves, nor in 
their effect upon the condition of the States to which they belong, do 
they bear any comparison with the domain of the United States, a 
broad territory free for occupation by anybody who will comply with 
the moderate conditions on which grants of it are made. 

K there is any one physical cause from which American institutions 
and customs may be said to spring, it is the possession of these public 
lands. They supply unfailing material for enterprise, both public 
and private ; they relieve the thickly settled portions of the country 
from the competition and suffering with which they would otherwise 
be disturbed. They dispose the American himself to movement, 
drawing him from overstocked industries and overworked soils to 
their fresh and open regions. They attract the immigrant, first from 
Europe, then from the towns in the United States where he may have 
settled for a time ; and more than anything else of a material nature, 
they satisfy him in his new home, and crown his labors with abun- 
dant reward. As an unceasing preventive of immobility and exhaus- 
tion, they stand in the way of inequality and caste, maintaining the 
independence with which the American is familiar as his birthright, 
and to which the immigrant aspires as one of the chief blessings in 
his adopted country. 

AREA. 

Parts m. and IV. have made mention of lands in various States 
and Territories held by the government of the United States. 

The total area of public lands at the beginning of 1871 is estimated 
at 1,350,000,000 acres, or considerRbly more than half the area of the 
United States, which is about 2,250,000,000 acres. 

Figures like these are not easily grasped. The area of Great 
Britain and Ireland is seventy-seven millions of acres ; that of France 
(continental), before its recent dismemberment, was one hundred and 
twenty-six millions ; the two together amounting to little more than 
two hundred millions. The United States public lands still open to 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 109 

purchase at government prices (to be explained presently) are there- 
fore between six and seven times as extensive as the combined terri- 
tories of Great Britain and France. 

It is true that a large portion of this immense domain is compara- 
tively inaccessible. No roads, no rivers, no means of communication 
lead to it ; and Avorse still, it is exposed to Indian tribes, always more 
or less read}' for the hostilities to which they are often provoked by 
government agents or frontier settlers. 

But with all proper deductions from the total above given, it will 
remain true that 500,000,000 acres of land, two and a half times the 
area of Great Britain and France, have been surveyed, and are 
therefore ready for occupation. This is enough at least for our day 
and generation. 

CLASSES OF LANDS. 

Lands are called by diiferent names. Originally unsurveijed, they 
become surveyed. As long as they are not brought forward for sale, 
they are known as unoffered. When brought forward, they are 
called offered. 

They are surveyed in townships, six miles square, each township 
being divided into thirty-six sections one mile S{juare, containing six 
hundred and forty acres, and each section into half and quarter sec- 
tions and even less. 

Lands are held at different prices, according to their distance from 
raih'oad lines : if within ten miles, they are held at $2.50 an acre ; 
if not, at $1.25. The latter rate gives lands the designation of 
minimum ; the former, that o^ double minhnum. 

Lands are also classified according to situation. The Report of 
the Commissioner of the General Land Office arranges the States 
and Territories containing public lands in four divisions. I. The 
Gulf States, or Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and 
Arkansas. Texas, though overspread with unoccupied lands, is not 
one of the States in which the general government is a proprietor. 
Four of the others lie along the eastern and northern shores of the 
Gulf of Mexico, while Arkansas stretches beyond Louisiana into the 
interior. Lands in this division, generally speaking, are adapted to 
the cultivation of cotton, rice, and sugar, as well as to tlie cereals. 
Upwards of forty-five millions of acres are open for settlement. II. 
The Mississippi Basin, or Michigan and Wisconsin on the east side ; 
Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Dakota Territory 
on the west side of the great river. A few hundred acres, in Ohio, 
Indiana, and Illinois, are still in government possession. In the 
States and Territory really constituting the division, two hundred 
and twenty-five million acres are waiting for settlers. Agriculture 
and mining on a large scale are needed to develop the resources of 
this vast territory. Its coal and other mineral deposits, its soil 
especially suited to the cereals in the eastern part, and to stock-raising 
in the western, promise all sorts of good to those who know how to 
avail of them. III. The mountains, or the State of Nevada, and the 
Territories of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New 
Mexico, and Arizona, a mineral and grazing i-egion, containing uj)- 
wards of five hundred million acres of unoccupied and partly unsur- 
veyed lands. IV. The Pacific Coast, embracing California and 



110 HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Oregon, States, Washington and Alaska, Territories ; with nearly 
600,000,000 acres of public lands, — foi-est, mineral, and agricultural. 



HOW TO OBTAIN LANDS. 

They may be acquired in various ways. 

First, under the Homestead Act. .By this, a tract of eighty acres 
at $2.50, or one hundred and sixty at $1.25, amounting in either case 
to $200, may be obtained by payment of certain fees and com- 
missions to the land officers, on condition that the applicant resides 
upon the land, and cultivates it, for five years, at the end of which a 
patent or deed is issued by the land 'office. As the fees and com- 
missions together range from seven dollars to twenty-two, at the 
highest, the homestead may be called a gift from the nation to the 
settler. Should he not wish to remain five years upon it, he may pay 
for it according to government rates, and thus obtain a title. If he 
relinquishes his claim, he cannot make a second entry, as the law 
allows but one homestead privilege. A homestead is not alienable, 
nor can it be seized for previous debts. 

Public lands in the Gulf States constituting Division 1. can be 
acquired only under the Homestead Act. 

Second, under the Preemption Act. This entitles a person to enter 
a tract of eighty or one hundred and sixty acres, and thus establish a 
preemptive right, that is, a right to take the land whenever offered 
for sale at government rates. If the tract is one of offered land (see 
above), the settler must file his declaration of settlement Avithin thirty 
days, and pay for the land within one year. But if the tract is of 
unoffered land, he may file Avithin three months, and pay before the 
day at Avhich the land may be subsequently offered at public sale. 
A fee of $2.00 is required on making a declaration of settlement. 

To avail of the Homestead or Preemption Acts, a foreigner must 
declare his intention of becoming a citizen. 

Whatever rights are thus established belong to both men and 
women, and descend from the original holder to his or her heirs. 

Third, lands may be bought of the government at auction. After 
proclamation by the President or public notice from the (general 
Land Office at Washington, lands are offered at auction to the highest 
bidder. 

Fourth, if not sold at auction, these lands are disposed of accord- 
ing to demand, by what is called private entry. 

Fifth, mining lands are exceptional. Under the Mining Act, it is 
provided that whenever any person, or association of persons, claim 
a vein or lode of quartz or other rock in place, bearing gold, silver, 
cinnabar, or copper, having previously occupied and improved the 
same according to the local customs or rules of miners in the district 
where it is situated, and having expended in actual labor and im- 
provement thereon an amount of not less than one thousand dollars, 
and in regard to whose possession there is no controversy or oppos- 
ing claim, the claimant may file in the local land office a diagram of 
the tract, conforming to the rules of miners, and to enter such tract 
and rec;eive a patent therefor granting such mine, A like diagram 
is to be posted on the claim, together with notice of intention to 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 



Ill 



apply for patent. After ninety days, if no adverse interest shall have 
been filed, a survey is to be made and approved by the surveyor- 
general, whereupon the claimant is authorized to make payment to 
the United States receiver of five dollars per acre, together Avith the 
cost of survey and notice, and giving satisfactory evidence that the 
diagram and notice were posted on the claim during the period of 
ninety days. Thereafter it is made the duty of the register of the 
district land office to transmit to the General Land Office the survey, 
that a patent may issue thereon. 



HOW TO PAY FOR LANDS. 

Payment for lands may be made in cash, or in warrants or scrip. 
Land Avarrants, issued as bounties for military service, and agricul- 
tural scrip, issued in aid of agricultural colleges, are sold at less than 
their nominal value, and by paying them for land, something may be 
saved on the purchase. But a man ought to be very sure of those 
with whom he is dealing, as Avell as of that in which he is dealing, be- 
ibre taking these documents. Agricultural scrip is available only for 
lands at $1.25 ; and land warrants, if used to purchase lands at $2.50, 
are acce}3ted for only half that rate per acre, the other half being 
payable in cash. The use of Avarrants or scrip also involves the pay- 
ment of fees at the land office. On the Avhole, therefore, it is ahvays 
safer, and generally quite as cheap, to make cash payment. 



LAND OFFICES. 

On these and all questions connected with the acquisition of public 
lands, the immigrant is earnestly warned to take counsel at one of the 
land offices in the following list, instead of listening to the advice of 
irresponsible parties. It is only on the spot, and from official 
sources, that he can learn all the conditions Avith AA'hich he must 
comply in order to secure his title. He should in all cases examine 
the land before making his settlement. No advice, even at a land 
office, can serve instead of a personal inspection of the spot where 
he proposes to make his home. 



I 



FLORIDA. 

Tallahassee. 

ALABAMA. 

Mobile. 

HuntsA'ille. 

Montgomery. 

MISSISSIPPI. 

Jackson. 

LOUISIANA. 

NcAv Orleans. 

Monroe. 

Natchitoches. 

ARKANSAS. 

Little Rock. 
Washiaj-ton. 



Clarksville. 

OHIO. 

Chillicothe. 

INDIANA. 

Indianapolis. ' 

ILLINOIS. 

Springfield. 

MICHIGAN. 

Detroit. 

East SagiuaAv. 

Ionia. 

Marquette. 

Traverse City. 

WISCONSIN. 

Menasha. 



Falls of St. Croix. 
Stevens' Point. 
La Crosse. 
Bayfield. 
Eau Claire. 

MISSOURI. 

Booneville. 

Ironton. 

Springfield. 

KANSAS. 
Topeka. 
Junction City. 
Humboldt. 

lOAVA. 

Fort Des Moines. 



112 



HANDBOOK FOR IMMIGRANTS 



Council Bluffs. 

Fort Dodge. 
Sioux City. 

NEBRASKA. 

Omaha City. 
Beatrice. 
Lincoln. 
Dakota City. 

MINNESOTA. 

Taylor's Falls. 
St. Cloud. 
Winnebago City. 
St. Peter. 
Greenleaf. 
Duluth. 
Alexandria. 

DAKOTA TERR. 

Vermilion. 



NEVADA. 

Carson City. 
Austin. 
Belmont. 
Aurora. 

MONTANA TERR. 

Helena. 

IDAHO TERR. 

Boise City. 
Lewiston. 

COLORADO TERR. 

Denver City. 
Fair Play. 
Central City. 

UTAH TERR. 

Salt Lake City. 

NEW MEXICO TERR. 

Santa Fe. 



ARIZONA TERR. 

Prescott. 

CALIFORNIA. 

San Francisco. 

Marysville. 

Humboldt. 

Stockton. 

Visalia. 

Sacramento. 

OREGON. 

Oregon City. 
Roseburg. 
Le Grand. 

WASHINGTON TERR. 

Olympia. 
Vancouver. 



OTHER UNSETTLED LANDS. 

Besides all the lands held by the United States, vast tracts, granted 
to the States for educational and other purposes, and still vaster 
tracts, o-ranted to railroad corporations, in aid of their construction, 
are still in the market. Much of these lands, being on the line of 
railroads, or near growing towns, or otherwise eligible, may be com- 
mended to settlers in preference to many portions of the public 
domain. The preceding pages, especially those relating to the West- 
ern States, have given information concerning lands for sale by rail- 
road corporations and land companies. Still fuller information can 
be obtained from the companies themselves or their agents. Con- 
cerning State lands, application should be made to the proper office 
at the "State House in each capital town. 



CONCLUSION. 

To no other part or lot in the United States can the immigrant 
be more welcome than to a share in the public lands. The country 
needs intelligent and enterprising settlers to enter upon its great 
domain and bring out its varied resources. To such it is sure to hold 
out an open hand. It offers them its best possessions, and they have 
only to accept them. 

Nor is any other lot better for the immigrant. On these lands 
he will find opportunity- of proving his manhood, and maturing his 
powers. His property, if wisely chosen and fiithfully cultivated, 
will improve in value, and as his means increase, his higher wants 
can be supplied. His children Avill grow up under influences tend- 
in"" to make them hardy, industrious, and temperate ; and as soon 
as°the neighborhood is*^ sufficiently settled, schools will give them 
the intellectual nurture which they need. He will not escape hard- 
ship or loss ; where could he in this world ? But they will be less 
severe, less crushing, as a general rule, than if he were living on 
wa<res and without a home. The great advantage, after all, in set- 



TO THE UNITED STATES. 113 

tling upon public or other accessible lands is, that instead of a hired 
tenement, poor in itself, and poorer in its close and crowded situa- 
tion, one has a home of his own, humble it may be, but healthy it 
may also be, with the fresh air about it, and the open sky above it, 
where he and his family may live in liberty. 

But we would not confine our welcome to such immigrants as set- 
tle upon our public lands. To all who are honest and capable, 
wherever they choose to fix themselves, and in whatever labor they 
prefer to engage, we would give kind greeting. This volume began 
with words of discouragement, oi*, at all events, of caution against 
imprudence in leaving the old home. Let it end with words of 
hearty encouragement for such as have come to a new home. The 
land of their adoption is large enough to hold them, active enough 
to employ them, and generous enough, one may trust, to care for 
them. To those especially who have suffered in their native coun- 
try, to those who seek a more liberal government or a freer people 
than their own, the United States are what our fathers hoped they 
might be, — what our great leader, Washington, thought they would 
be, — "a kind of asylum for mankind." 



THE END 



APPENDIX. 



Tickets from Europe to the interior of the United States often cost 
more on the EurojDean than on the American side, owing to frequent 
changes in the raih-oad fares ; while they may not be for the route 
most convenient to the immigrant, unless he has other information 
than he can obtain at the steamship agencies. See page 8, top. 

The Stale of New York gives further protection to emigrants by au- 
thorizing the Commissioners of Emigration, in case of the death of 
any alien passenger on the voyage whose personal property does not 
exceed the value of twenty-five dollars, to take charge of his effects, 
and to hold them for the Ijenefit of his legal heirs. In case minor 
children should become orphans on the passage, the Commissioners 
are empowered to take charge of the entire personal property of the 
parents for the sole benefit of the legal heirs, without prejudice, how- 
ever, to the claims of creditors. See page 9, bottom. 

Ward's Island, New York, merits more than the simple mention of 
it on page 12. 

Every immigrant landing in New York is charged $2.50 head or 
commutation money, which is, however, not paid directly by him, 
but by the steamship companies, and is included in the passage 
money. This payment, as stated on page G5, entitles him, for the 
term of five years after his landing, to free admission to the institu- 
tions on AVard's Island. The island is the property of the Commis- 
sioners of Emigration, containing about 200 acres, and situated in 
the East River, a few miles from Castle Garden. It was purchased, 
and a)l the improvements upon it were erected, out of funds accu- 
mulated from the head-moneys. The buildings on the island con- 
sist of — 

1 . The New Hospital. This spacious edifice is constructed upon 
the most approved plans for ventilation and all necessary comforts 
of the sick. It is composed of a corridor, 650 feet in length and 
two stories in height, from which project five wings, each 130 feet 
long and 25 feet wide, and two stories high, except the central 
wing, which has three stories. It contains accommodations for 350 
patients. 

2. The Nursery. The home of the children is a wooden building, 
three stories, a basement, and Mansard roof. 120 by 190 feet, contain- 
ing a dining-room, play-room, bath-room, schpol-rooms, sleeping-rooms, 
and a Roman Catholic chapel. 

3. The Refuge building and the New Barracks are two large brick 
buildingcs for the use of destitute immio;rant,s. Here those who, 



116 ' APPENDIX. 

though in good health, cannot find employment ov are prevented 
from reaching their final destination from want of funds, may find 
a temporary asylum. They are fed, and even clothed in case of 
need, free of charge, but are expected in return to labor for the ben- 
efit of the institutions on the Island. The R-efuge is used mainly 
for females, the New Barracks for males. 

Other buildings are the Dispensary building, the new Dining-Hall 
(capable of seating 1,200 persons), Protestant chapel. Fever and Sur- 
gical Wards, Lunatic Asylum, Bo} s' Barracks, workshops, the dwell- 
ings of oflicials, and other appurtenances. 

Immigrant Aid Societies, in addition to those mentioned on page 15, 
are the following : — 

In Boston, Scandinavian. 

Swiss. 
New York, Scandinavian. 

Swedish. 
Swiss. 
Philadelphia, Scandinavian. 

Swiss. 
Washington, Swiss. 
Cincinnati, Swiss. 

St. Louis, Scandinavian. 

^ Swiss. 

San Francisco, Swiss. 
We repeat the request, that any societies not in our lists will give 
us their addresses ; and we ask those in the list for fuller information 
respecting their work. 

In case of suffering any wrong, the immigrant may apply for the 
proper remedy to the officers of any immigrant aid society. In New, 
York he may also apply to the officials at Castle Garden. 

Thf". Northern Pacific Railroad is about bringing its lands into the 
market. Its managers furnish the following outline of their purposes 
regarding immigration and settlement. 

With the attractions of climate, soil, and scenery, which nature 
has given to the region, the simple building of the Northern Pacific 
road would suffice ultimately to people the country along its line. 
Accessibility is about all that is needed to turn the tide of migration 
into this fertile region. Already thousands of settlers are following, 
and often preceding, the surveying and construction parties on the 
road through Minnesota and Dakota. The same is true on the Pa- 
cific slope. As fast as the road can be built, it will find a popula- 
tion already on its flanks. But to render this natural movement cer- 
tain, rapid, and constant, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company is 
organizing an Immigration Bureau in connection with its Land De- 
partment. The system adopted is practical, though new, and on a 
scale Avorthy of the great trust the nation has confided to this cor- 
poration. 

In carrying out the details of this scheme, the company will aim : 

1. To employ as its Land and Immigration Agents, at home and 

C^broad, only men of the highest character. 2. To permit no repre- 

^ Vsentations to be made by its authority which the facts will not fully 

UP-r^nt. .S. To promote, as far as possible, the formation of colonies, 



107 



APPENDIX. 117 

both in Europe and the older States of our own country, so that neigh- 
bors in the old home may be neighbors in the new ; so that friends 
may settle near each other, form communities, establish schools, and, 
in short, avoid many of the traditional hardships which have usually 
attended pioneer life. 4. To exercise over immigrants, en route, 
whatever supervision tlieir best interests may require, seeing to it 
that transportation charges are the lowest attainable, that accommo- 
dations on ships and cars are comfortable, that their treatment is kind, 
their protection against fraud, compulsion, and abuse of all sorts, 
complete, and that every dollar of unnecessary expenditure on the 
Avay is avoided, and the emigrant enabled to husband his means for 
the w^ork of starting a homestead. The company intend to complete 
the work of caring for the settlers who move to the line of their road 
by furnishing lands at such moderate prices, and long credits, that 
the poorest need not remain landless ; by aiding all who prefer it to 
secure homesteads from the government domain ; by transporting 
settlers, their families and goods at reduced rates ; by seeing to it 
- elements of a sound civilization, including educational, 
. mail facilities, keep pace with the progress of the road 
growth of communities. 
±lie Vice-President of the United States, Hon. S. Colfax, de- 
scribes the country through which the road is laid out as " a vast 
body of agricultural land waiting for the plough, with a climate 
almost exactly the same as that of New York, except that, with less 
snoAv, cattle, in the larger portion of it, can subsist on the open range 
in winter. Here, if climate and fertility of soil produce their natural 
result, when railroad facilities open this now isolated region to settle- 
ment, will soon be seen waving grain-fields, and happy homes, and 
growing towns ; while ultimately a cordon of prosperous States, 
teeming with population, and rich in industry and consequent wealth, 
will occupy that now undeveloped and almost inaccessible portion of 
our continental area." To which the company adds that " taken as a 
whole, the region thus to be developed by this great highway is not 
surpassed by any area of like extent on the continent for abundance 
and diversity of natural resources, and capacity for sustaining a dense 
population. Besides its wealth of minerals and of timber, it admira- 
bly combines the three essentials of a good farming and grazing 
country, namely, a mild climate, a naturally rich soil, and a fair 
supply of moisture." 



HANDBOOK 



IMMIGRANTS 



United States. 



PRKPARED BY THE 



AMERICAN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION. 



WITH MAPS. 



NEW YORK: 
PUBLISHED FOR THE ASSOCIATION, 
By HURD and HOUGHTON, 13 Astor Place; 
Btt JSiDatvsUit $ress, CtambrOiac, IHass. 

1871. 





















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